What If?
by ocfanatic2013
Summary: What if...Santana and Rachel were dating at the beginning of the series? Story is better than the summary. NOTE: HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MY PEZBERRY SECRET STORIES
1. Chapter 1

Rachel Berry walked down the hallway of William McKinley High School on the fifth day of sophomore year. She saw the sign up sheets for all of the clubs on a bulletin board outside of the front office. One of them especially caught her attention. It was a sign up sheet for New Directions, which appeared to be the new name for the William McKinley High School Glee Club. She knew that Mr. Ryerson had been fired the day before; she had been the one to report him, after all, and Mr. Schuester had taken over it. She instantly pulled out her favorite pen and wrote her name on the sign up sheet. As she turned around to walk away, she was met with a cold liquid bullet to the face, also known as a slushie facial.

Across the hallway, Santana Lopez watched as Rachel Berry signed up for a club. She couldn't tell which one it had been, but Santana had a pretty good idea of which one Rachel had signed up for. Suddenly, Rachel was covered in slushie. Santana felt her eyes widen. She glared down the hall at the perpetrator, Noah Puckerman. She would have to remember to slushie him back later on, but right now she had more important things to tend to. She bit her lip in guilt as she watched Rachel run past her to the nearest bathroom. Santana turned around and followed her.

Rachel was cleaning up in the bathroom when she heard the door open. She wished she had remembered to lock the door, so no one could see her covered in slushie and make fun of her. She turned away so she would not have to make eye contact with the person who was the intruder of her solitude of depression.

Santana walked into the restroom and saw Rachel turn away from her when she entered. She grabbed some paper towels from the dispenser and put them under the faucet Rachel had turned on.

"Do you want some help?" she softly asked. Rachel turned around when she heard the familiar voice.

"Did you see it?" she asked. Rachel refused to make eye contact with Santana, who nodded.

"Yea I did." Santana admitted. She began helping Rachel clean off her clothes.

"Then why are you here?" Rachel asked. Santana paused her actions.

"I'm sorry?" Santana stared at the girl in front of her.

"You saw the attack. Why are you here and not running away?" Rachel said. Rachel turned away from Santana again.

"I'm not sure that I understand, Rachel." Santana said. She continued to stare at Rachel.

"You saw how everyone treats me. We aren't in the bubble we've been living in all summer, Santana. We're back in school now." Rachel said. Rachel willingly allowed Santana to turn her to face her.

"It sounds as if you're _trying_ to push me away." Santana said. Rachel quickly shook her head.

"No, that's not it. You know I don't want to push you away. But I would completely understand if you wanted to protect your reputation." Santana shook her head.

"I am _Santana Lopez_. What makes you think I care about my reputation?" Rachel looked at her.

"Because you're Santana Lopez." Santana put down the towels. She turned Rachel so that they were facing each other.

"Rach, I care about you way more than I care about my _reputation_." Rachel smiled softly at the girl she had somehow managed to get as her girlfriend at the back at the beginning of the summer. Santana smiled at her and went back to helping Rachel clean herself off.

"That is so sweet. But maybe we should keep us a secret for a while." Santana stopped her actions once again.

"What?" Santana asked. She stood there staring at Rachel.

"Our entire relationship has been outside of school. But I think we should do this." Rachel said Rachel looked into Santana's eyes.

"Why?" Santana asked. Santana could not help but wonder if she did something to insult her girlfriend.

"Outside of school, we're great at not being 'Rachel' or 'Santana' as individuals, and becoming 'Rachel and Santana.' But inside this building we only know how to be 'Rachel' or 'Santana.' We don't know how to be 'Rachel and Santana.'" Rachel explained. Rachel quickly picked up on Santana's worries and knew she had to assure her that that was not her intention.

"So by pretending to hate each other, you think we will learn how to function as a couple in here?" Santana asked. She was clearly confused.

"I didn't say we have to hate each other." Rachel said. Rachel looked at Santana.

"That's the only way I'm going to be able to keep from trying to make out with you every time I see you." Santana said. Santana raised an eyebrow at Rachel.

"Fine. We'll pretend to hate one another. But whatever mean things you say, you better make up to me." Rachel said. Rachel took another step closer to Santana.

"I promise." Santana said. She was grinning as Rachel kissed her.

"I think that this is the right thing to do for now." Rachel said. Santana nodded at Rachel.

"Okay… but you say the word and we can go public. And just know that the moment we are out, I will kill anyone that messes with you." Santana said. Rachel and Santana smiled at each other. Each girl was thinking about how lucky they were to have the other girl.

"I don't doubt that for a second, Santana." Rachel said. Rachel leaned up and kissed Santana.

"Rachel, if this is what you want, then this is what I'm going to do. You know I would do anything for you." Santana said. She pulled Rachel into her for a hug. Rachel smiled into Santana.

"I would do anything for you as well, Santana." Rachel said. Santana smiled down at her girlfriend.


	2. Chapter 2

Two days later, word had gotten around school that Mr. Schue had decided to leave school to become an accountant or something like that. Apparently, Rachel had taken over the Glee Club as the temporary director and hoped to become permanent director, but Finn had quit. Quinn and Santana were walking down the hall when they saw Finn and Rachel talking. Quinn immediately went over there. "Hi Finn. RuPaul." Quinn said. Santana avoided Rachel's gaze.

"Hey." Finn said. Quinn narrowed her eyes.

"What are you doing talking to her?" Quinn said.

'_Seriously Hudson. Why are you talking to my girlfriend.'_ Santana thought. Finn stammered.

"Science project. We're partners." Rachel said. Santana raised an eyebrow at the lame excuse. Finn was not in her and Rachel's science class.

"Whatever. Christ Crusaders tonight at five. My house." Quinn said. Santana smirked at Rachel. Quinn grinned at that, thinking that Santana was sending a message to Rachel. Only Rachel and Santana knew what the smirk really meant.

"Sounds great." Finn said. She and Santana walked away. A couple nights later, Rachel was sitting on her bed working on homework when there was a knock on her door.

"Come in." she called. She smiled as she saw her girlfriend enter.

"Hey sweetie. How's your homework going?" Santana asked. She sat down on her girlfriend's bed.

"Pretty good. I was actually about to work on stuff for Glee Club, if you want to listen." Rachel said. She closed the book she was reading and moved to the side of her bed.

"I wanted to talk to you about that. So I heard Finn Hudson joined Glee Club. Is that true?" Santana asked. She laid out on the bed.

"Finn Hudson? Yea, he joined. He's really talented." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"Yea, his girlfriend isn't so happy about that." Santana said. Rachel looked at Santana.

"Who's his girlfriend?" Rachel asked. Santana looked away.

"Quinn Fabray." Santana said. Rachel raised an eyebow.

"Quinn Fabray? As in, one of your best friends?" Rachel asked. Santana shook her head and held up a hand.

"Q and I are _not_ friends. We both want to be on top. We are _competitors_." Santana said. Rachel made a _'get on with it'_ gesture. "Yea. Anyway, I can't stand Finn. I hate that Quinn is still with him. He's obviously with her because she's captain of the Cheerios. It's like he is trying to create the world's most common cliché." Santana said. Rachel sighed.

"Santana, where is this going?" Rachel asked. Santana grinned.

"I want you to pursue Finn." Santana said. Rachel looked at Santana in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, you want me to do _what_?" Rachel exclaimed. Santana bit her lip.

"Santana that is the worst idea ever." Rachel said. Santana stood up.

"Rachel, just hear me out." Santana said. Rachel sighed.

"Fine." Santana smiled and continued.

"It'll turn away any suspicion that people may have towards us. If you're going after Finn, people won't think that you and I are dating if we happen to be caught talking to each other." Santana explained. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"How is that going to throw off suspicions of _you_?" Santana sat back down.

"Quinn, Brittany, and I rule that school. We can make someone cry just by glaring at them. If you're going after Quinn's boyfriend, why would I be nice to you?" Santana reasoned. Rachel raised her eyebrow again.

"This isn't your only reason for wanting to do this." Rachel said. Santana looked away.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Santana said. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Santana, come on." Rachel said. Santana looked anywhere but Rachel.

"I don't know what you're talking about Rachel." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"You care about Quinn." Rachel said. Santana gave in.

"Fine. Okay, Quinn is one of my best friends. I don't want her to get hurt. And Finn is going to hurt her." Santana said. Rachel looked confused.

"Uh… how is having someone pursue her boyfriend attempting to get them to break up going to prevent her from getting her hurt?" Rachel asked. Santana sighed.

"Okay so I'm going to ignore that you said that and concentrate on my plan. Are you in?" Santana asked. Rachel stared at Santana for a long moment. She sighed.

"Fine. I'll do it." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Rachel." Santana said. Rachel nodded.

"You owe me, Santana Lopez." Rachel said. Santana's face dropped.

"I hate those words when they come out of your mouth." Santana said. Rachel smirked and nodded.

"You can start by watching every single musical that I own on DVD with me." Rachel said. Santana's mouth dropped open.

"But that was my punishment the last time you said that." Santana protested. Rachel sighed.

"Fine. I'll think of something else." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"How about I start with this?" Santana asked. She leaned over and kissed Rachel. After making out for a while, Santana pulled away. "So I want you to start flirting with Finn during your next Glee rehearsal." she said. Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"I guess I can do that. Are you sure you are okay with this?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded.

"I trust you. Besides, if you were to ditch _me_ for _Hudson,_ then there would be something seriously wrong with you." Santana said. Rachel smirked.

"This is true. But like I said, you totally owe me, Santana." Rachel said.

"Yea, yea, yea, whatever. I'm not scared." Santana said. Actually, she _was _a little scared. But she would never admit that to Rachel.

"So am I supposed to convince Finn to quit Glee or what?" Rachel said.

"No. Keep him there." Santana said. Rachel nodded.

"All right…" she said.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day at school, Quinn approached Santana. "Man-hands is after Finn." Quinn said. Santana looked at Quinn.

"What are you talking about?" Santana asked. Quinn sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I was trying to convince Finn to quit that stupid club and she was definitely eavesdropping on us. I confronted her and she basically said she was going to try to steal Finn from me." Quinn said. Santana bit the inside of her lip to keep from smiling. Rachel was already at work.

"Wow, that really sucks Q. What are you going to do about it?" Santana asked. Quinn shook her head.

"I don't know. I'll let you know when I think of something." Quinn said. Santana nodded.

"Okay. Good luck." Santana said. As soon as Quinn had walked away, she pulled out her phone.

**Good job. Quinn's already freaking out. Keep it up! –S**

**I didn't even really do anything. –R**

**Well, it's working. –S**

**She must be insecure about her relationship. –R**

**I'll see you later. :) –S**

**Defintely. –R**

Santana sat with the other Cheerios during the homecoming assembly. She stared at Rachel with her mouth open. After the assembly, she pulled out her phone.

**You could have told me about that. –S**

**I know, I'm sorry. –R**

**You were all over him! –S**

**No offense, but that's kind of what you told me to do. –R**

**Not in front of the entire school, especially me. –S**

**I'm sorry, San. Are you mad? –R**

…**No. I guess not. –S**

**Okay. That's all that matters. –R**

**But at least Q is livid. –S**

**Yea that's good. –R**

**Yea, so I guess it worked. –S**

**I have to go. Finn and I have a meeting. –R**

**With who? –S**

**Principal Figgins, Coach Sylvester, and Mr. Schuester. –R**

**Ouch. Good luck. –S**

**Thanks. I'm going to need it. –R**

Santana was writing an essay in the library when Quinn approached later that day.

"I figured it out." Quinn said. Santana looked up at her.

"Figured what out?" Santana asked. Quinn sighed.

"A way to keep RuPaul away from Finn. It came to me during that assembly performance." Quinn clarified. Santana nodded.

"And what would that be?" Santana asked. Quinn smirked.

"You, Brittany, and I are joining that stupid Glee Club." Santana felt her jaw drop.

"I'm sorry, we're going to do _what _now?" Santana asked. Quinn rolled her eyes.

"We're auditioning for Glee Club." Quinn repeated Santana raised her eyebrow.

"But why?" Quinn sighed again.

"So I can keep an eye on the two. Come on. We have half an hour to rehearse and then we have to go audition." Quinn said. Santana sighed and followed the head cheerleader to practice. She almost rolled her eyes when she saw the song Quinn had chosen. They practiced and then walked to the choir room.

"Can I help you girls?" Will asked. Quinn smiled.

"We'd like to audition for Glee Club." Quinn said. Will raised an eyebrow.

"I have to say I'm really surprised you girls are trying out." Will said. Quinn smirked.

"I'm sure you have read about this in the school paper, Finn and I have been an item for awhile now. So what kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't support him?" Quinn said. The three cheerleaders sang _I Say A Little Prayer_. As soon as they were finished, Mr. Schuester that they were in told them that they were in. As soon as they walked out of the choir room, they received word that they were wanted in Coach Sylvester's office.

"Let me get this straight. You're joining _Glee Club_?" Sue said. Quinn panicked.

"Coach Sylvester, I'm so sorry. But something is going on between Finn and that thing. You saw how it was undressing him with its eyes." Quinn said.

'_How dare she talk about my Rachel that way.'_ Santana thought. She kept her mouth shut.

"Please don't kick us off the Cheerios." Quinn continued. Sue snapped at her. Quinn instantly shut up.

"You three are going to be my spies." Sue said.

'_Rachel is going to kill me if she finds out.'_ Santana thought. However, she high-fived Brittany. The next day, they went to Glee Club rehearsal. Everyone, especially Rachel and Finn, looked at them with jaws dropped.

"Everyone, please welcome our three newest members: Quinn Fabray, Brittany Pierce, and Santana Lopez." Will said. Everyone half-heartedly clapped. Santana avoided Rachel's eyes. After Glee rehearsal, Santana quickly left the choir room. Rachel gathered her stuff and followed her.

"You're supposed to be flirting with Finn." Santana said. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"I think this is a little more important." Rachel said. She subtly pushed Santana into the bathroom.

"Did you forget to tell me something when you were at my house last night?" Rachel asked. Santana played innocent.

"Uh… no." Santana said. Rachel rolled her eyes again.

"Really? So you weren't going to tell me that you were joining Glee Club?" Rachel said. Santana smiled sheepishly.

"Oh yeah. Quinn, Brittany, and I are joining Glee Club. Surprise!" she said. Rachel groaned.

"Santana! Quinn is there to destroy me. Glee is the most important thing to me. Don't ruin it." Rachel said. Santana instantly felt bad considering the condition Sue gave them when they joined.

"Rachel, everything is going to be fine. Quinn is going to have a front row seat to the Finn/Rachel show and you're going to be back where you belong soon." Santana said. She walked towards Rachel.

"And where's that?" Rachel asked. Santana grinned.

"In my arms." Santana said. Rachel smiled as she was pulled into her girlfriend's hug.

"And… we get to spend more time together." Santana continued. Rachel looked up at Santana.

"Yea I guess that's a good thing." Rachel said.

"You guess?" Santana said. Rachel smirked.

"Yep." Rachel looked up.

"Watch it, woman." Santana said.


	4. Chapter 4

"Rachel Barbra Berry is there something that I need to be worried about?" Santana asked when her girlfriend walked into her room. Rachel stared at her.

"Uh… not that I'm aware of. Care to elaborate?" Rachel asked. Santana raised an eyebrow.

"You seemed rather cozy when you were dancing with Hudson during Glee rehearsal." Santana said. Rachel laughed.

"San, we were supposed to be doing the waltz for that failed choreography." Rachel said. Santana rolled her eyes.

"So… what's your point?" Santana asked. Rachel blinked.

"You are aware of what the waltz is, right? It's a dance in which the two people are very close." Rachel said. Santana huffed. "And anyway, you're the one who told me to flirt with Finn during rehearsals." Rachel said. Rachel sat down on the bed.

"Speaking of which, why are you late?" Santana curiously asked. Rachel avoided eye contact.

"Oh… I was helping Finn practice in the auditorium… alone." Rachel said. Santana raised an eyebrow again.

"What happened?" Santana asked. Rachel looked away

"He… he kissed me." Rachel said. Santana jumped up.

"He did _what_?" Santana exclaimed. Rachel looked down.

"And I may have kissed back." Rachel continued. Santana stared at her in disbelief.

"Rachel what the hell? How could you?" Santana said. Rachel stood up as well.

"San, I'm sorry." Rachel said. Santana remained silent. "Look, I know you're mad and I get that. You have the right to be. But please don't shut me out." Rachel said. Rachel tried to pull Santana into a hug.

"Rachel, I can't believe you would do this to me." Santana said. Santana pulled away.

"Santana, I am so sorry." Rachel said. Santana sat back down on her bed.

"Can you please leave?" Santana requested. Rachel's eyes widened.

"San." Santana looked away.

"Rachel, please." Rachel stared at Santana before finally giving in.

"All right. I'll leave." Santana watched as Rachel left her room. She had never been so happy for the weekend. Not only did she get a break from school, but also she didn't have to see Rachel and Finn for two whole days. She remained in her room for the rest of the night. Suddenly, her phone buzzed. She knew it was probably Rachel, but she picked it up anyone.

**One new message from:**

**Rachel Berry**

**I know you're mad, but I really am so sorry.**

Santana stared at the message before putting her phone back where it had been. She couldn't handle talking to Rachel right now. Soon, her phone vibrated again. Rolling her eyes and sighing, Santana picked it up again. She was surprised to find that this time, it wasn't a text from Rachel, but two different text messages from two different people.

**Two new messages from:**

**Finn Hudson and Quinn Fabray**

Santana clicked on the one from Quinn first.

**Something is up with Finn. I called him and he sounded weird. –Q**

Santana stared at her phone, deciding to read Finn's message before responding.

**Do you think Rachel Berry is into me? –F**

Santana stared at her phone in disbelief.

**I don't know, maybe. You should ask her. –S**

She went back to Quinn's message.

**Something is up with Finn. I called him and he sounded weird. –Q**

Santana stared at the message and closed her eyes as she replied.

**I heard that he and Man Hands had a private lesson in the auditorium. –S**

Santana started to feel terrible, when she remembered what Rachel had just told her. She sighed and waited for the replies. She didn't have to wait long before her phone vibrated.

**One new message from:**

**Finn Hudson**

**Hey, I never thought of that. Good idea.**

Santana rolled her eyes at his stupidity. She started to reply when she received a new message.

**WHAT? Where did you hear that? –Q**

Santana wasn't going to tell she had heard it from Rachel.

**Doesn't matter. What are you going to do? –S**

Her phone buzzed again.

**One new message from:**

**Rachel Berry**

**Finn just asked me if I like him.**

Santana didn't want to respond, but she did anyway.

**Okay. –S**

**What do I say? –R**

**Tell him whatever you want. –S**

**Are you still mad? –R**

Santana didn't respond to that message, mainly because she had a new message. _'This is getting ridiculous.'_ she thought.

**One new message from:**

**Quinn Fabray**

**Plot to humiliate her. Want in?**

Santana didn't waste any time hesitating before typing one word in response.

**Definitely.**

She may have been mad at Rachel, but she still cared about her and if someone was going to plot to humiliate her in front of no doubt the entire school, she was going to be in on it to make sure things didn't get to out of hand. Her phone vibrating pulled her out of her thoughts.

**One new message from:**

**Finn Hudson**

**She said she does. What do I do?**

Santana gaped at her phone. She had not expected that. She ignored Finn's message and called Rachel.

"Hello?" Rachel answered.

"You told him yes?" Santana said.

"Well, you told me to tell him whatever I wanted, so I told him yes. Wait, how do you know that?" Rachel asked.

"I'm the one who told Finn to ask you if you liked him in the first place." Santana said.

"Ah." Both girls were silent. "Well, this is what you wanted is it not?" Rachel asked.

"Yea, I guess. I have to go." Santana said. She hung up the phone. Two minutes later, she felt it vibrate.

**One new message from:**

**Rachel Berry**

**You never should have asked me to do this. It is tearing us apart.**

Santana's heart broke at that message.

**You didn't have to kiss him. –S**

**He kissed me. –R**

**Did you have to kiss back? No. –S**

**I told you, I'm sorry. –R**

**I know you are. –S**

**But you are still mad. –R**

**Yes, I am. –S**

**But it was not intentional. –R**

**Because I just thought… never mind. –S**

**No, tell me. –R**

**No. It's not something to be said via text. –S**

**Can I call you? –R**

**Look, I just need time to figure some stuff out, okay? –S**

…**Yea. Okay. Take all the time you want. –R**

**Excuse me? –S**

**I think we should cool off for a while. –R**

"I know that girl did not just dump me. And through a text message, at that." Santana said to herself. She wsn't going to allow that. She grabbed her keys and drove to Rachel's house. She was let in by one of Rachel's dads and went straight to Rachel's room and entered without knocking.

"Santana?" Rachel asked.

"Okay, first of all, you can't just dump me through a text." Santana said.

"You hung up on me and wouldn't answer my calls." Rachel said.

"Okay look, maybe I overreacted a little bit. But that doesn't give you the right to dump me." Santana said.

"You practically threw me at Finn to divert attention away from us. You haven't been yourself lately. Give me one reason why I should stay with you." Rachel said. Santana looked at Rachel silently. "If you can't do that, then I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Rachel said. Santana remained where she was.

"Because I love you." she heard herself say.

"You love me?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded.

"Baby, I love you. That's why I reacted the way I did." she said.

"I love you too." Rachel said.

"You do?" Rachel nodded.

"Yes. Which is why I don't want to have to seduce Finn anymore. I know you want them to break up, but please respect my feelings and find a different way. One that doesn't involve either of us in a love triangle with him." she said.

"There won't be a need for that. Come Monday, everyone is going to know we are dating. I don't want to have to hide it anymore." Santana said.

"San? Are you sure?" Rachel asked.

"Keeping us a secret wasn't my idea." Santana replied.

"True. Okay. We can go public." Rachel agreed. Santana smiled and kissed Rachel. The two fell onto Rachel's bed. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and the door opened.

"Berry, we need to… Santana?" Quinn exclaimed. Santana immediately rolled off of Rachel.

"What are you doing here Quinn?" Santana asked.

"I could ask you the same thing. Why are you making out with Man Hands?"

"Her name is Rachel, okay? And she's my girlfriend. We started dating at the beginning of the summer." Santana said. Quinn looked at Rachel.

"Then why has she been after Finn?" she asked.

"Because we were trying to keep our relationship a secret and I was attempting to divert attention from myself and Santana. I'm sorry Quinn, I should not have done it." Rachel said.

"So who all knows?" Quinn asked.

"Our parents and now you." Santana said. Quinn nodded. "Look Q, I don't _need_ your approval, but you are one of my best friends so I want your approval." Santana said.

"Does she make you happy?" Quinn asked. Santana nodded. "Then who am I to say you can't date her? I just hope you know what you are doing." Quinn said.

"Thank you Quinn." Rachel said.

"Well, Rachel now that I know that you are not actually after Finn, I don't have a problem with you. I might even consider becoming friends with you." Quinn said. Rachel smiled. "Are you guys going to keep this a secret?" Quinn asked.

"Until Monday." Santana said.

"Wait, S, you can't go public with this. Coach Sylvester said no dating unless it is a football player, remember?." Quinn said.

"Crap. Rach, I am so sorry." Santana said.

"San, it's fine. I won't let you get kicked off the Cheerios." Rachel said

"I promise to keep it a secret." Quinn said The two smiled at Quinn, who frowned. "I only have one problem with this relationship." she said. Santana narrowed her eyes.

"And what is that?" Santana asked. Quinn smiled.

"That you didn't tell me when you first started dating." Everyone laughed. "Can I tell you guys something?" Quinn asked.

"Sure."

"I'm pregnant." Quinn said.

"What?" Santana exclaimed.

"I'm sorry. I just found out two weeks ago. San, please don't tell Coach Sylvester." Quinn said.

"I won't Q. Does Finn know?" she asked. Quinn nodded.

"He broke up with me." she said, crying.

"Hey, we'll make it through this." Santana promised.


	5. Chapter 5

Two weeks later, even though they still had to remain a secret, Santana still wanted to do something special for Rachel on their upcoming four-month anniversary. She had enlisted Quinn's help, since Quinn was the only one who knew about it. The only problem would be making sure Rachel didn't find out. As they were released from Glee, Santana noticed Finn stopping Rachel to talk. She glared at the boy, but quickly ushered Quinn out of the room, realizing that this was her time to set up her surprise. Quinn and Santana quickly made their way out to Santana's car. "So tell me, why you're setting up an anniversary surprise for your secret girlfriend at school?" Quinn said.

"Because this is only half the surprise. I want her to feel special all day. No one has to know it was from me." Santana explained. Quinn nodded. The two girls continued to grab the supplies out of the car.

"You can still break into lockers, right?" Santana asked. Quinn smiled.

"I thought you had forgotten." she said. They started the walk back to the building and made their way to Rachel's locker. Rachel watched Santana and Quinn hurry out of the choir room. She assumed that they were trying to get Quinn away from Finn, so she thought nothing of it.

"Hey Rachel?" Finn said. Rachel looked up.

"Yes Finn?"

"I was wondering if we could talk." Finn said.

"I need to go to my locker." Rachel replied.

"I'll walk you there." he offered. Rachel sighed.

"I guess. Come on." The two left the choir room.

"What do you want to talk about, Finn?" Rachel asked.

"Well, I'm not sure if you've heard, but Quinn and I broke up." Finn began. Rachel nodded.

"And I know that you like me." he continued. Rachel paused, realizing where this was headed.

"And?" she said.

"And… I was wondering if you wanted to maybe try us out." Finn said. They stopped at Rachel's locker.

"Finn…" Rachel said. Finn cut her off by kissing her.

"Oh my god."

Santana and Quinn walked down the hall. It was all Santana could do not to sprint to Rachel's locker out of excitement. They turned the corner and saw Finn and Rachel by the girl's locker. Kissing. Quinn was the first to speak. "Oh my god." The two immediately broke apart. Santana threw everything in her arms to the ground and walked over to the pair. She punched Finn as hard as she could and would have kicked him if he hadn't run away crying.

"San…" She felt a hand on her shoulder and whipped around. Before she knew what she was doing, she slapped Rachel. Next thing she knew, tears were coming out of her eyes. "Santana." Rachel whispered. Santana cornered Rachel against the wall and leaned in close.

"We're over." she said.

"No." Rachel whispered. She kissed Santana. The girl quickly pulled away.

"You can't do this to me!" Santana yelled.

"I love _you_, Santana." Rachel said.

"Liar! You don't love me. You never loved me. We are _over_, Rachel!" Santana yelled. She quickly ran away. Quinn stood there not knowing what to do. She watched as Rachel slid to the floor in tears. She walked over to the girl.

"Rachel?" she quietly said.

"Quinn, I didn't kiss him. I wouldn't do that to you and I especially would not do that to Santana." Rachel said.

"I believe you." Quinn said.

"I wish she did." Rachel said.

"Hey, I'll talk to her. But Santana is pretty stubborn. And she has never been in love so she doesn't know how to take heartbreak. Even if it was not your fault, it still broke her heart." Quinn replied.

"I just hope she forgives me." Rachel said. Quinn studied the girl in front of her.

"I'll be right back, okay? I'm going to go talk to her." Rachel nodded and Quinn went in search of her fellow cheerleader. She finally found the girl in her car. She gently knocked on the door. Santana looked up and nodded her approval of Quinn to enter the car.

"You okay?" Quinn asked. She sat in the car and closed the door.

"Do I look okay?" Santana asked.

"You didn't have to slap her, you know?" Quinn said.

"Seriously Q? You're taking _Rachel's _side?" Santana exclaimed.

"I talked to her and she said that he kissed her." Santana scoffed.

"Of course she did."

"Honestly, it doesn't surprise me." Quinn said.

"And why is that?"

"Because when he broke up with me he said that he had been thinking about it for awhile because he thought he liked Rachel, and the pregnancy just quickened his decision." she explained. Santana felt her jaw drop.

"Seriously? What a jerk."

"That's what I was going to talk to Rachel about the day I found out about you two." Quinn said. Santana was silent. Quinn took this to mean she was calming down.

"San, Rachel does love you. She would never try to hurt you." Quinn said.

"I can't believe that I didn't trust her." Santana muttered.

"Neither can she." Quinn said.

"I have to find her. Where do you think she is?" Santana said.

"If she isn't still crying on the floor in the hallway, she's probably in the choir room or the auditorium." Quinn guessed. Santana nodded and jumped out of her car. She sprinted through the parking lot and entered the building in search of Rachel. She went to Rachel's locker, but the hallway was empty. She tried the choir room next, which was also empty. That only left the auditorium. Santana sprinted to the large hall, before quietly entering. As she walked into the dark room, she heard the faint sound of a piano and crying. She saw Rachel on the stage. She took a deep breath before making the walk down the long aisle. The only light in the room was on the stage, so Rachel did not see Santana approaching. As Rachel finished playing whatever song she was playing, Santana clapped. Rachel's head snapped up and her mouth fell open.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Listening to you play… whatever that was. Wait. Was that _Yankee Doodle_?" Santana asked, hiding a smile. Rachel nodded.

"It was the first song I learned to play. I play it whenever I'm sad." Santana looked down.

"Rach… I am so sorry. I shouldn't have slapped you."

"You shouldn't have punched Finn either." Rachel said.

"Whoa, hold up. I'm trying to apologize and you're defending the guy who kissed you?" Santana exclaimed.

"I am not defending him… wait. You believe me?" Rachel said.

"Quinn told me what you said. She also told me what he said when he broke up with her." Santana said. Rachel nodded.

"I'm still mad at you, though."

"Why?"

"Because it hurt when you slapped me." Rachel said.

"Baby, I am so sorry." Santana said. Rachel nodded before slowly smiling.

"Why are you still down there and not up here with me?" Santana looked down and noticed she had yet to walk on the stage. She looked up at Rachel and smiled.

"Are you saying you want me up there?" Rachel nodded and Santana all but sprinted up the steps. She quickly made her way to the piano and to Rachel. Rachel stood up as Santana approached and literally jumped into the taller girl's arms. Santana hugged Rachel.

"I am so sorry. I love you so much, Rachel. It made me sick to see you kissing him." Santana whispered.

"I know. I'm sorry. I love you too." Rachel said. Santana gently put Rachel down and kissed her.

"Do you want to come over?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded and the two went out to Santana's car. Rachel noticed the stuff that Quinn had so nicely put back in the car, but didn't ask about it. As they were driving, Santana started playing with the radio. She reached down to plug her iPod, but dropped the device. Despite, Rachel's protests, Santana leaned down to pick it up. While she had her head down, she heard Rachel scream. Santana barely had time to look up before the collision.


	6. Chapter 6

Quinn ran into the hospital. Her eyes searched until they saw her friend in a state Quinn had never seen Santana in before. She quickly made her way to the crying girl. "San, are you okay? Have you heard anything?" Quinn asked. Santana silently shook her head. Quinn took the girl into her arms.

"It's going to be okay, S. Rachel'll be fine." One by one, the Glee Club members filed into the hospital.

"Santana, why were you giving Rachel a ride home? You hate her." Finn innocently said.

"I don't hate her, Hudson." Santana snapped.

"San." Quinn whispered. Santana's head snapped her way.

"_What_?"

"Are you sure you know what you're about to say?" Quinn asked.

"I don't care about the Cheerios right now, Q." Santana responded.

"What's going on?" Puck asked.

"Rachel and I are dating." Santana announced. Every single member of the Glee Club's mouth dropped open, with the exception of Quinn.

"Since when?" Kurt asked.

"The beginning of the summer." Santana said. She sat down and started crying again. Everyone was silent for a moment.

"That explains why she punched me when I kissed Rachel. Santana, I am so sorry. I had no idea." Finn said.

"Not the time, Hudson, but thanks." Santana said. Suddenly, a doctor came out of a door.

"I'm looking for someone here for Rachel Berry." he announced. Santana stood up.

"She's out of surgery. You can each visit her, one at a time." he said.

"Santana, you go first." Mercedes said. Santana nodded and followed the doctor. As she neared the room, she heard Rachel's voice.

"I would like the television set to whatever channel has Broadway music playing." she was saying. Santana smiled as she entered the room, but the grin quickly vanished when she saw Rachel's injuries. The girl had a broken arm, a broken leg, bruises everywhere, stitches in her head and multiple cuts all over her body.

"Oh my god, Rach." Santana whispered. Rachel looked up at the new voice and sunk into her pillow as far as she could.

"You… you're Santana Lopez, right?" Rachel asked.

"Huh?" Santana said.

"Aren't you Santana Lopez?" Rachel repeated. Confused, Santana nodded.

"You're a Cheerio." Rachel said.

"Yes…" Santana replied.

"Why are you here? Are you here to make fun of me? Because I really wish you wouldn't do that given my current state." Rachel said.

"Why would I make fun of you?" Santana asked.

"Because you're a Cheerio. It's what you do." Rachel said.

"What? No, sweetie when everyone finds out, no Cheerio will ever make fun of you again, I promise. I have already told the entire Glee Club." Santana said.

"Told them what?" Rachel asked.

"About us." Santana said.

"Us?… wait. Who all is in Glee Club?" Rachel asked.

"You, me, Quinn, Brittany, Finn-" Santana was cut off.

"Finn? Finn Hudson? Is he out there?" Rachel excitedly asked.

"Yes. Why do you care about Hudson?" Santana asked.

"Why would I not? I have had a crush on him for the longest time. Is he really out there for me?" Rachel asked.

"Uh… could you excuse me for a moment?" Santana asked. She left the room and saw the doctor who had come to get her. "Why can she not remember me?" Santana asked.

"She appears to have amnesia. She can't remember the past six months." the doctor said.

"We've only been together for four." Santana said. She stood silently for a moment.

"So what am I supposed to do? Will she get her memory back?" Santana asked.

"Eventually, but there's no way to know how long it will take." he explained.

"Is there anything I can do to help her remember?" Santana questioned.

"If you have anything that could possibly help her jog her memory, bring it by and let her see it." Santana nodded and went back to the lobby. "She wants to see you, Finn." Santana said.

"What? Why?" he asked.

"She can't remember me. But she remembers having a crush on you." Santana said. Quinn offered to give her a ride home, since her car was totaled. As they reached her house, Santana got an idea. "Q, can you stay here for a second? I'll be right back down." Santana said. Quinn nodded and Santana ran up to her room. She searched through a trunk under her bed and pulled out three scrapbooks. The first was labeled _June_, the second _July_, the third _August._ They were all filled with pictures of Santana and Rachel. Rachel had made them for Santana at the end of summer as an end of summer present. She grabbed them and ran back down to Quinn's car.

"Where are we going?" Quinn asked.

"Back to the hospital. I'm going to try to get my girl's memory back." Santana said. When they returned, Santana ran to Rachel's room. As she neared the room, she heard Finn's voice. She walked in and saw that the two were in the room together and Finn was taking full advantage of the fact that Rachel thought she was into him. "Finn, what are you doing?" Santana asked.

"Finn, why is Santana Lopez here again?" Rachel asked.

"I'll get her to leave, if you want baby." Finn said.

"_Baby_?" Santana repeated.

"Finn and I are going out now." Rachel gloated.

"What?" Santana exclaimed. She motioned for Finn to follow her into the hallway.

"What Santana?" Finn said.

"Rachel's my girlfriend. You know that. Why are you doing this?" Santana said.

"She thinks she ' into me. And I know I'm into her. She's fair game now, Santana." Finn said.

"Hudson, this is so wrong." Santana growled.

"You could never love the way I can." Finn said.

"I'm not going to allow you to take advantage of my girlfriend who has amnesia." Santana said. She pushed past Finn and reentered the room.

"Rachel, you and I are dating. We're together and we're in love." Santana said.

Rachel laughed. "Yea, right."

"Rach, it is true. Look, you made these for me." Santana said. She handed Rachel the scrapbooks and an envelope.

"What are these?" Rachel said.

"Just look at them. Please, Rachel." Santana begged.

"Fine. I'll look at them. But I'm telling you, we aren't dating." Rachel said. They looked up as a nurse came in.

"Visiting hours are over. You two will have to leave now." she said. Finn and Santana exited the room.

Rachel watched as the two left. She looked down at the books in her hand. Cautiously, she opened the first one. On the first page was a picture of her and Santana kissing. Every single page was filled with pictures of the two. Rachel desperately wanted to be able to remember them, but she couldn't. She couldn't deny that she looked happy in those pictures. Slowly, she looked at each picture. She picked up the envelope and opened it. Inside, was a note.

_Rachel, _

_I know you don't remember us or even me. I hope that looking at these pictures will help your memory return. I miss having my girlfriend around. I know you're probably wondering why you are even in the hospital. I guess I'm the one who owes you that explanation. I was giving you a ride home from school. I didn't like what was on the radio, so I went to plug my iPod in. I dropped it as we were entering an intersection and bent down to pick it up. I heard you scream, and next thing I knew, we had been hit and you were unconscious. I know I shouldn't have taken my eyes off the road and I feel terrible. I should have listened to you and allowed you to pick it up. I am so sorry and I will never be able to forgive myself for what almost happened. I love you, baby. And even though you can't remember right now, I know you love me too. I will be willing to wait as long as it takes for you to regain your memory. I just want you to be okay. Oh and I know you don't remember, but its our four-month anniversary, so… Happy Anniversary, I guess? Anyway, get better soon. _

_Love, Santana. _

Rachel read the note twice. One of her dads, Leroy walked into the room. "Dad?"

"Yes, Rachel?"

"This girl, Santana, came and said that she and I are in love." Rachel began.

"Yes, she told me what happened." Leroy said.

"But I have been in love with Finn Hudson since the seventh grade." Rachel said.

"Sweetie, you began dating Santana at the end of your freshman year." Leroy said.

"That's impossible." Rachel said.

"No, honey, it isn't. You love her." Leroy said. Rachel looked back at the books. She stayed up half the night trying to remember. Finally she drifted off to sleep.

_FLASHBACK_

"_Berry?" Santana said. __It was the last day of school and Rachel was cleaning out her locker._

"_Come to throw one last slushie before the summer, Santana?" Rachel bitterly asked._

"_No… I came to see if maybe you want to… I don't know… go out tonight… with me." Santana said. __She looked down._

"_Go out? Like hanging out or like a date?" Rachel asked. __Santana looked up. _

"_You choose. I'll pick you up at 7?" she asked. __Rachel nodded. _

"_Just let me know what you choose when I pick you up." Santana said. __She smiled at Rachel as she walked away. Confused, Rachel resumed her task of cleaning out her locker. __At 7, Santana was ringing the doorbell at Rachel's house. Rachel opened the door and smiled at the taller girl._

"_Truth be told, I wasn't exactly expecting you to show up." Rachel said._

"_Well, I did. Are you ready to go?" Santana asked. __She wasn't at all offended. She knew that if in Rachel's position, she would have felt the same. The two walked out to Santana's car. As Santana drove the pair to Breadsticks, Rachel spoke._

"_I'm assuming you're wanting to know which one of your choices I picked?" she asked. __Santana nodded._

"_If you want, I would kind of like this to be a date." __Santana smiled widely. _

"_I was hoping you would choose that." she said. __After the date, Santana drove Rachel back to her house. They stood on the porch._

"_I actually had a good time, Santana." Rachel said. _

"_Me too, Rachel. Do you want to do this again?" Santana replied. __Rachel nodded. Santana looked at her for a moment before softly kissing her. _"_Rachel, I have wanted to ask you something all semester." Santana whispered._

"_What's that?" Rachel asked._

"_Will you please be my girlfriend?" Santana asked. __Rachel looked at her. _

"_Are you serious?" __Santana nodded._

"_I really like you, Rachel." __Rachel looked at her for a long moment. _

"_Yea. Yes, I'll be your girlfriend. But promise me we can take this slow."_

"_I will do anything for you Rachel." Santana promised._

_END FLASHBACK_

Rachel woke with a start. She looked around and noticed that there was another occupant in her room. She smiled as she realized that Santana had managed to sneak into the room. "San?" she whispered. The girl didn't move. Reaching behind her, Rachel grabbed one of her pillows and threw it at Santana. "Santana!" The girl awoke at the impact.

"What's going on?" she muttered. She looked around. "Rachel?"

"Come here." Rachel whispered. Slowly, Santana walked over. She had a feeling she was about to get rejected. Rachel motioned for her to lean closer. When she did, Rachel pulled her into a kiss. "I love you." Rachel whispered.

"You do?" Santana said. Rachel nodded.

"I'm so sorry I didn't remember anything." Rachel said.

"Baby, do not apologize. It was my fault." Santana said.

"Does everyone in Glee really know about us?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded.

"What if it gets back to Sue?"

"I don't care about the Cheerios. I just want you and I to be together." Santana said.

Rachel smiled and Santana climbed up on the bed and the two fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Finn walked into the hospital room to find Santana asleep in Rachel's bed. "Rachel, what are you doing?" he exclaimed. He woke both girls up with his outburst. Santana looked around sleepily and smiled at the sight of her girlfriend in her arms, but quickly frowned when she noticed the intruder.

"Get out, Hudson." Santana growled.

"No way, Lopez. You're the one with my girlfriend." Finn said.

"Give it up, Finn. I regained my memory." Rachel said.

"Give what up, Rachel? My girlfriend?" Finn asked.

"I'm not your girlfriend. I'm Santana's. You took advantage of me." Rachel said.

"I took advantage of you? How do you know that Santana has not just convinced you that you two are together as a Cheerio joke?" Finn said.

"Because, as I said, I regained my memory. We have been dating for four months. She would have done something by now." Rachel said.

"That's just what she wants you to think." Finn insisted.

"Okay, it's time for you to leave." Santana said.

"Stay out of this Satan." Finn said.

"Why should I?" Santana said.

"This is between _my_ girlfriend and I. _You _have nothing to do with this." Finn yelled.

"What is going on here?" a nurse said. Santana and Finn started yelling at the same time. "Okay, you two need to leave." the nurse said.

"Wait." Rachel spoke up. The nurse, Finn and Santana turned around.

"Yes Rachel?" the nurse asked.

"I want Santana to stay." Rachel requested. Santana beamed at the girl before smirking at Finn.

"Bye, Finn. Thanks for stopping by." Santana said. She walked back over to Rachel. '_I love you.'_ she mouthed to the smaller girl. Rachel didn't immediately reply, but she smiled and nodded at Santana. When Finn and left and the door was closed, Rachel breathed a sigh of relief.

"I love you too, by the way." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"I am _so_ glad to have you back. I'm so sorry for what happened. This is all my fault." Santana said.

"You won't get any arguments from me." Rachel replied.

"When are you going to be well enough to be allowed to leave?" Santana asked.

"Today, I think." Rachel replied. Sure enough, two hours later, Rachel was on her way home to rest. Santana went home to allow the girl time to get ready for school the next day. Everyone had attempted to talk Rachel into staying home a few days, but the girl insisted on attending school. When Santana got home, there was a new text message waiting for her.

**New Message:**

**Quinn **

**Don't worry. I told everyone to keep quiet about you two.**

Santana breathed a sigh of relief.

**Thanks Q.**

The next day at school, Santana was surprised to find that Rachel was not in Glee Club rehearsal. "Guys, I have an announcement. Rachel quit Glee Club this morning." Will said. No one was more surprised than Santana. She immediately stood up and went in search of the smaller girl. She found her in the dance studio.

"What's going on with you?" Santana asked. Rachel stopped and turned around.

"Hey San!" she said. She quickly made her way over to kiss the Santana, who pulled away.

"Why did you quit Glee?" Santana asked.

"Mr. Ryerson said that I had to choose between Glee and the play." Rachel said.

"So you chose the latter?" Santana asked.

"Santana, I'm not getting the star treatment I deserve in the club." Rachel said.

"I can't believe you just said that. Rachel, if you leave Glee, you leave me." Santana said.

"San…"

"No, Rachel. You're being selfish. We're over." Santana said. She turned around and walked out of the room. Rachel sighed and continued on with her dancing. Over the course of the next week, Santana and Rachel had no contact. Rachel was finishing up an embarrassing interview with Jacob Ben-Israel when Finn walked in.

"Hey Rachel." he said. She looked up.

"What do you want Finn?" she asked.

"I wanted to apologize for taking advantage of you. I was jealous of Santana and it wasn't right." Finn said.

"Thank you for apologizing Finn. I have to go run lines, so if you'll excuse me." Rachel said.

"Do you need help?" Finn asked. Rachel looked at him.

"Sure." After the two ran lines for a while, Rachel decided to take a break.

"You seem stressed." Finn commented.

"I have all these lines to memorize." Rachel said.

"Why don't you ask Santana for help?" he asked.

"She and I aren't exactly on speaking terms. We broke up, actually. We haven't spoken since I quit Glee Club. " Rachel said.

"You need a stress reliever. I'm going to take you bowling tonight." Finn said. Rachel considered this.

"Okay. I guess I could use a night of relaxation." Rachel said. That night Santana, Quinn and Brittany walked into the Lima Bowling Alley. Santana needed to distract herself. As soon as she walked in, she saw Rachel and Finn in a lane. Her jaw dropped open. She immediately headed to the counter.

"Hi can you put us in the lane next to the gigantic idiot and the smaller person?"

"I don't know. The guy asked for them not to be disturbed." the guy at the counter said.

"He _what?_ Okay look, put us at that lane or I will have to bash your head into this counter, got it?" Santana threatened. They were quickly led to the lane right next to Rachel and Finn's. As they approached, they saw Rachel bowl a strike before kissing Finn. Santana stopped in her tracks, dropping her rental shoes. Brittany scrambled to pick them up as Santana made her way towards them.

"S, wait. You broke up with Rachel. She isn't yours anymore." Quinn said.

"Doesn't mean I want her to kiss _him_." Santana said. She slowed down. "Hudson. Berry." she greeted them, playing it cool. Rachel's eyes went wide and she turned around.

"Santana." she managed to squeak out.

"Are you two on a date?" Santana asked. Rachel quickly shook her head.

"Huh. Cause that's what it looked like when you kissed him." Santana said.

"Rachel isn't your girlfriend anymore, Lopez." Finn said. Santana glared at him. "Whatever, come on Rachel. Let's go." Rachel moved to leave and Santana gently put her hand on Rachel's arm.

"You don't have to leave if you don't want to, Rachel." she whispered. Rachel looked at her. "You can stay here and play a game with us, if you want." Santana continued.

"I'd rather not be around you." Rachel said.

"Rachel, please come back to Glee." Santana said.

"I will be rejoining the Glee Club Monday morning. I quit the play earlier. It was to stressful. However, this doesn't mean anything for us." Rachel said. She pushed past Santana and followed Finn out to the parking lot. Santana dropped her head. That Monday, Rachel was back in Glee Club, only this time, she was not sitting with Finn. She was sitting with Puck. Apparently they had gone out over the weekend and were now dating. Puck stood up and sang a song, staring at Rachel the entire time. Everyone looked at Santana and saw the murderous glare she was sending to Puckerman. Everyone immediately knew, Santana Lopez was still in love. She immediately jumped out of her chair and down the risers. She pulled Puck away from Rachel and sent him flying across the room. "Santana!" Rachel yelled, jumping up. When she did, Santana leaned in and kissed her. Everyone expected Rachel to pull away from her. However, the diva leaned further into the kiss. Everyone watched in amazement. Eventually, Rachel pulled away and rested her forehead on Santana's for balance. Santana looked at Rachel with wide eyes.

"What does this mean?" Santana whispered.

"I hope it means you still love me. That was all I wanted to know, Santana. I never wanted to break up." Rachel said.

"I am so sorry." Santana said.

"I know. But this was all you had to do. We could have been back together at the bowling alley." Rachel said.


	8. Chapter 8

Santana and Rachel walked out to Santana's car after Glee rehearsal. "I can't believe you paid Puckerman to make me jealous." Santana soon as Rachel and Santana had made up, Puck had walked over and demanded his payment. In his words, his job was done.

"Yea, well. It had to be done. And it worked." Rachel said. She smiled at Santana.

"So are you nervous about your big solo for this weekend?" Santana asked. Sectionals were in two days and both girls were nervous and excited. Rachel nodded.

"A little bit. But I'm happy."

"That you got a solo? Of course you are." Santana teased.

"Shut up. What I meant was, I'm happy that we get to perform for real." Rachel clarified. The two sat in a comfortable silence, before Rachel broke it.

"Hey, you remember when I found my mom over the summer?" Rachel asked. Santana looked over at her warily before returning her attention to the road.

"What about her?" Santana asked.

"She wants to have mother/daughter bonding after Sectionals." Rachel said.

"Not happening." Santana immediately said.

"Santana, you have no say in this." Rachel said.

"Rachel, do you remember what happened last time you talked to her? She left you after two days of 'mother/daughter bonding.'"

"I know." Rachel said.

"You were devastated for a month. You didn't stop crying." Santana continued.

"I know."

"You didn't leave your bed for four days." Santana said.

"San, I know. Please stop talking for one second!" Rachel exclaimed. Santana stopped talking but held up four fingers.

"Four freaking days." she whispered. Rachel rolled her eyes as she continued.

"Santana, she apologized for what happened." Santana scoffed.

"And you believed her?"

"She's my mother, Santana. Of course I believe her."

"But last time-"

"Last time is in the past." Rachel said. Santana shook her head.

"I won't let you do it. You aren't going to meet with her. I won't allow it." Santana said. She pulled into Rachel's driveway. Rachel sighed and glared at Santana as she grabbed her stuff and got out of Santana's car.

"Congratulations, Santana. You have managed to get us into a fight fifteen minutes after getting back together. I hope you're happy." Rachel said. She slammed the car door shut and ran into her house.

"Freaking ecstatic." Santana mumbled. She backed out of the driveway. The next day in Glee, Rachel sat as far away from Santana as possible. Will walked in.

"Okay guys. Let's do a dress rehearsal and then you guys can go home and rest for tomorrow." Santana had to walk by Rachel to get to her spot.

"Rach, can we talk?" Santana whispered.

"Not now, Santana. We need to rehearse." Rachel said. Santana sighed and went to her spot. They went through the choreography of the numbers and then they were allowed to go home. Santana waited patiently for Rachel to gather up her things. "What do you want?" Rachel asked.

"About yesterday…"

"Santana, you can't tell me what to do! This has nothing to do with you! Try minding your own business and let me live my own life! You are _not_ apart of any of the big decisions in my life, so stay out of it! Oh my god! If I knew you were going to react like this, I wouldn't have bothered _wasting_ my money to pay Noah to make you jealous so I could get you back! Right now, it feels like a huge mistake!" Rachel exclaimed. Santana's face dropped and she felt herself about to start crying.

"I was going…" Santana's voice broke. "I was going to tell you that I was sorry for what I said. I was out of line." She quickly turned around and ran out of the auditorium, not waiting for Rachel to respond. Rachel closed her eyes for a moment before leaving herself. The next day, both girls arrived in front of the bus that would take them to Sectionals at the same time. They stared at each other for a moment. Rachel was the first to speak.

"San…" Santana glared at her before pushing past her to get on the bus. Rachel knew Santana was trying to act mad, but her eyes showed the hurt. Rachel sighed and turned around to get on the bus. She saw that everyone else had already boarded the bus. Rachel looked around and saw that the only open seats were next to Jacob Ben-Israel and… Santana. It should not have been that hard of a decision, but it was. If she sat next to Jacob, she would have to worry about him trying to kiss her. If she sat next to Santana, well that would just be awkward. A voice interrupted her thoughts.

"I saved this seat for you Rachel." Jacob said. He patted the seat next to him. Rachel's eyes went wide and she sent a pleading look Santana's way. The cheerleader looked at her for a moment before nodding her head and moving her bag onto the floor of the bus, making room for Rachel to sit.

"Sorry Jacob, I agreed to sit next to Santana." Rachel said. She quickly hurried past Jacob and went to Santana's seat. She hesitated before sitting down.

"You have exactly five seconds before I put my bag back." Santana said. Rachel quickly sat down.

"Thanks." Rachel whispered.

"Yea, well. No one should have to sit next to Jew-Fro. That's the kind of torture Sue Sylvester wouldn't even give someone." Santana said. She was looking everywhere else, refusing to meet Rachel's eyes.

"Can we talk about yesterday?" Rachel asked.

"No. You made it very clear that you don't want me to be apart of your life. There is nothing to talk about. Sorry you wasted your money. Maybe you can get a refund." Santana said.

"Santana, I didn't mean it like that." Rachel said.

"There is nothing to talk about." Santana repeated.

"But…"

"Let's just get through today and then we can go on with our lives. Separately." Santana said. She turned away from Rachel and spent the rest of the trip looking out the window with her iPod in her ears. Rachel felt like crying. As soon as the got off the bus, Santana immediately went to Quinn and Brittany. They sat through the first team with jaws dropped. Everyone was singing their songs. Rachel called an emergency meeting.

"You guys leaked the set list. You don't want to be here. You're just Sue Sylvester's little moles." Kurt accused.

"I know for a fact that's true. Sue asked us to spy for her." Quinn said. Quinn hated Sue since she got kicked off the Cheerios.

"We may still be Cheerios, but neither of us gave Sue the set list." Santana said.

"I did, but I didn't know what she was going to do with it." Brittany said. Everyone groaned.

"Believe what you want. But no one is forcing me to be here. And if any of you repeat this, I'll deny it, but I like being in Glee Club." Santana said. She made her to a chair, ignoring everyone's surprised looks.

"It's the best part of my day, okay? I wasn't going to go and mess that up." she continued. She sat down in a chair.

"I believe you." Rachel said quietly. Santana looked up and gave her a small smile.

"We still need new songs." Quinn said. Suddenly Finn walked in.

"They had a computer downstairs in the lobby of this place. I found this music and printed it off." He handed out the papers he had in his hand. Santana and Rachel looked at the title of the song for their group number and looked at each other.

"What about our ballad?" Kurt asked.

"Mercedes do you have anything else in your wheelhouse?" Rachel asked.

"Rachel, you need to sing this. We agreed I would sing a certain song. That's not going to happen. You need to sing this. You're the only one who can belt it out on the fly." Mercedes said.

"I know just the song." Rachel said. Mercedes smiled. "But only if you're sure." Rachel continued.

"Girl, just go kill it." Mercedes said. Rachel turned to look at Santana, but she had already moved to go choreograph the group number. Later, Santana watched from behind the curtain as Rachel belted out _Don't Rain on My Parade_. She didn't want to admit it, but Rachel sounded amazing. Santana watched Rachel throughout the group number as well. After they performed, they went to their green room.

"Santana." Rachel said. Santana turned around and looked at Rachel.

"Yea?"

"You were amazing." Rachel said. Santana looked down.

"You too."

"Look, I'm sorry for what I said. It was wrong. But I understand that you don't want to forgive me. I think we should take the upcoming winter break to figure things out. Separately." Rachel said. Santana nodded her head in agreement.

"Hey, you don't have to sit by Jew-Fro if you don't want. You can still sit by me." Santana said.

"Finn asked me to sit with him." Rachel quietly said.

"What? Why?" Santana asked.

"So we could plan our date for tomorrow night." Rachel said.

"So _that_ is why you want to break up. I get it, Rachel. It's cool. Have fun with the giant loser. I hope he makes you happier than I did. Although, it apparently doesn't look like that'll be too hard." Santana said. She grabbed her bag and went to the bus, sitting next to Brittany.


	9. Chapter 9

Over the Christmas break, Santana and Rachel did not talk at all. Even though Rachel was Jewish, Santana had bought her a Christmas gift. She had it on her dresser. She kept reminding herself to take it back to the store to return it, but she could not bring herself to do that. She wasn't sure if it was laziness or hope that prevented her from doing that. A few blocks away, Rachel had also purchased a gift for Santana. She was having a similar situation to her ex-girlfriend. She kept looking at the gift, wanting to take it back, but unable to make herself pick it up, get in her car, and drive to the store to return it. Both girls kept checking their phones to see if the other had texted or called them. Santana only came up with messages from Quinn and Brittany. Rachel only came up with messages from Finn. Since their date, the two had become an official couple. Rachel wanted to like Finn. She wanted to get over Santana. But she simply couldn't force herself to stop thinking about the taller girl. As the return of school approached, Rachel knew she was going to have to face Santana. She knew she was going to have to channel all of her energy into her relationship with Finn.

Santana walked into the choir room fully expecting to see Rachel and Finn all over each other. She was completely surprised to see that while they _were_ sitting together, Rachel was seated distantly from Finn. When Rachel saw Santana, however, she turned her attention to Finn. Santana looked away and walked to another seat. As soon as Glee was over, everyone else walked out. By reflex, Santana waited for Rachel to gather her things. Rachel had not noticed her and began talking to Finn.

"I made us his and her relationship calendars. Now you can write down our dates so you don't forget them anymore." Rachel said.

She handed Finn a calendar with the two of their faces in kitten's faces. Finn's face went pale. Santana could not hold back her laughter at that.

"Really Berry? Cat calendars?" Santana asked, laughing. Finn and Rachel turned to face her.

"Santana…" Rachel said. She trailed off.

"Don't mind me guys. Just keep talking about the crazy calendars." Santana said.

Finn glared at her. "Are you saying she never made _you_ one?" he asked.

Santana shook her head. He smirked. "Well, I guess we know who Rachel _really _cares about then, huh?" he said.

He smirked at Santana before putting his arm around Rachel. Santana immediately stopped laughing and glared at Finn. "Listen here, Hudson-" Rachel cut Santana off.

"What are you still doing in here, San?" she asked. Finn and Santana immediately looked at her.

"San?" they asked in unison. The only difference was Finn was asking in an angry tone, while Santana was asking in a hopeful voice.

"I meant Santana." Rachel corrected herself. Santana's face dropped and Finn smiled triumphantly. "What are you doing here?" Rachel asked.

Santana looked away. "Force of habit, I guess. Sorry I interrupted." Santana said. She quickly left the room. Finn looked back down at the calendar in his hand. He was really creeped out by the fact that his face was inside a cat's.

"Do you really like it Finn?" Rachel asked hopefully. He attempted to give her a smile. It came off as painful.

"Yea." He quickly left the room, leaving Rachel extremely confused. Santana was walking to her locker when Brittany called her name.

"What's up, Brittany?" Santana asked. She smiled at her best friend.

"Coach Sylvester wants to see us in her office now. She's really mad, S." Brittany said.

"For what? We didn't do anything wrong." Santana said. The two girls went to the office of their very angry cheerleading coach. Sue was mad that they did not sabotage the Glee Club's performance at Sectionals.

"Listen up. You two are getting one last chance. The heart of that team, as you both know, is Rachel Berry. She wants one Finn Hudson. I want you to go after him. She won't be able to stand the fact that you're dating him. It will crush her spirits, thus crushing the Glee Club." Sue said. Brittany looked at Santana, who showed no emotion on her face at the instructions they were just given. The two girls left the office.

"San, how are you going to do that to Rachel?" Brittany asked her best friend. Santana looked at her.

"Rachel is not my girlfriend anymore, B. She's with Finn now. And it is now my job to break them up." Santana said. Brittany nodded and looked at Santana.

"Do you still love her?" Brittany asked. Santana hesitated slightly before answering.

"No, I don't." she said.

Brittany immediately knew it was a lie, but did not say anything to press the subject. She knew that Santana would not be trying to break Finn and Rachel up for Sue's purposes, but for her own personal purpose. And Brittany was now determined to help, as long as it meant seeing her best friend happy again. She winced as Santana pushed some poor unsuspecting freshman into a locker for no reason. She knew that Santana would be a lot happier and the school would be a lot safer if Santana and Rachel were back together, even if the only people in the school who knew about the couple were the kids in the Glee Club. When they were dating, everyone knew something good must have been going on in Santana's life. They just didn't know what. All they knew was that Santana was no longer slamming kids into lockers and throwing slushies in unsuspecting people's faces. She seemed nicer. Well, as close to nice as Santana Lopez could get around people, who, in her mind, did not matter. Which was pretty much anyone other than Brittany, Quinn, Rachel, and, sometimes, Puck. The kids in the Glee Club were starting to grow on her a bit, but they just weren't quite there yet. The two girls sought out Finn.

"Hi Finn." Brittany said.

"What's up?" Finn asked, warily looking at Santana.

"We were wondering if you wanted to go out sometime." Santana said.

"Like on a date?" he asked. They nodded. "With which one of you?" he asked.

"With both of us." they said in unison.

"Uh… I do not know." Finn said. Santana heard the hesitation in his voice.

"Come on, Finn. You don't have to be scared. Rachel doesn't have to know." Santana said.

"I have to check her crazy- I mean cat calendar." Finn said.

"Cancel whatever thing she has planned. This will be a lot more fun." Santana said.

"Seven? Breadsticks?" Finn asked. Brittany and Santana nodded.

"Finn?" they heard. Brittany and Santana turned around to see Rachel there.

"What's going on?" Rachel asked.

"We were just planning a date with Finn for tonight." Santana said, looking at Rachel.

"Finn? Is this true?" Rachel asked.

"I don't think I want to be your boyfriend." Finn said. Santana's heart broke as she saw Rachel's face drop.

"_You_ asked _me_ out in the first place." Rachel said.

"Yea and then you went all crazy with your stupid calendars." Finn said. Rachel began crying. "Oh stop crying, Rachel." Finn said.

"Hey!" Santana exclaimed from where she and Brittany had migrated to in attempt to give them privacy without actually leaving. Finn and Rachel turned towards her. Santana advanced towards Finn.

"You do not _ever_ make Rachel cry. And you especially don't do it in front of me. Is that clear?" Santana said, stepping between the two. She turned towards Brittany. "Let's go, B." The two girls walked into the choir room. Rachel and Finn quickly followed. Finn sat down by Brittany and Rachel glared at the three. She got up and started singing _Gives You Hell_. After her performance, Santana went up to her in the hallway.

"Were you singing that to Finn or me?" Santana asked.

"You." Rachel said, not meeting her eyes. Santana gently pulled her face towards her.

"I'm sorry. For everything. Every single thing. The whole thing with your mom, what happened at Sectionals, the date with Finn, which I will _not_ be going on by the way." Santana said.

"You were right. About my mom. She ditched me again." Rachel said.

"Oh, Rach, I am so sorry. What can I do to help?" Santana asked.

"Kiss me. Be mine again." Rachel said.

"Do you forgive me?" Santana asked hopefully. Rachel nodded. Santana leaned into kiss her. Just as they came in contact, the bell rang. Rachel sprung back. Santana shook her head.

"I told you, I don't care." Santana said. She grabbed Rachel and kissed her in front of the entire hallway. Everyone either stopped in their tracks or pulled out their phones for proof that Santana Lopez was kissing _Rachel Berry_. Remembering where they were, Rachel tried to pull away, but Santana stopped her. Only when they heard the voice of one Sue Sylvester, did Santana break the contact.

"LOPEZ!" Sue yelled. Santana quickly pulled away from Rachel.

"Coach…" she said.

"Lopez, you know my rules." Sue said.

"I know, Coach, I'm sorry. It's just… I was already with her when you made the rule." Santana stammered out. Rachel had never seen her so nervous before.

"Exactly how long has this been going on?" Sue asked.

"Since the end of last year, Coach." Rachel spoke up. Sue glared at Rachel.

"I was talking to my head cheerleader. You stay out of this you mouth-breathing midget!" Sue yelled.

"Hey!" Santana yelled. Sue glared back at her. Every student, including Rachel, stared at Santana in awe. No student had ever yelled at Sue Sylvester before. "You can yell at me all you want, but _don't_ yell at my girlfriend!" Rachel held back a smile.

"Santana, its okay." Rachel said. Santana turned to Rachel.

"No it isn't. She has no right to yell at you like that!" Santana said. She turned back to Sue, who addressed the girl as soon as she did.

"Listen here little girl. You need to show me some respect." Sue commanded. Santana laughed.

"Oh you mean like the respect you show everyone else?" Santana asked.

"Rules are rules Lopez! And my rule is no dating unless it is a football player. You have two choices. Leave the Cheerios or leave the dwarf." Sue said. Santana started towards Sue when she called Rachel a dwarf. Rachel held her back.

"Calm down, S." Rachel whispered. Santana struggled for a few moments before giving up.

"I'm calm, Rachel. You can let me go now." Santana said in as calm a voice as she could fake. Apparently it was good enough, because moments later, she was released from Rachel's grip. She took that opportunity to advance on Sue. She didn't stop until she was in Sue's face. "Not that I needed any assistance in making my decision, but you insulting Rachel for a second time ensured that my decision was the accurate one. I quit." she menacingly whispered. She smiled as Sue's facial expression controller went haywire, going from sure of herself, to scared, to shocked in seconds.

"You… you can't quit the Cheerios! It's never happened before! You either die or I kick you off." Sue stammered.

"Not this time. You'll have your uniform by Monday morning." Santana said. She allowed Rachel to pull her away and walked down the hallway with her girlfriend. "You're gonna want to watch out for her now. She's going to have it out for both of us." Santana whispered to Rachel. Rachel nodded.

"Do you want to change out of your uniform?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded.

"I have workout clothes in my locker. You go on to class. I'll see you later." Santana said. Rachel nodded. "Unless you wanted to help, of course." Santana smirked.

"Goodbye, San." Rachel said. Santana laughed.

"Aw come on. I just told off Sue Sylvester and I get nothing?" Santana asked. Rachel smirked at her and walked away. "Holy crap. I know what that means." Santana said to herself.


	10. Chapter 10

Santana smiled to herself as she walked to her locker to get her workout clothes. She looked down at her uniform and thought back to when her, Brittany, and Quinn were so excited to join the Cheerios. They had sworn that they would be on Cheerios for their entire high school lives and nothing would tear them apart from the squad. Now, a year and a half into high school, Quinn had been kicked off because of her pregnancy and Santana had quit to be with Rachel. Brittany was the only one still on Cheerios, but since Quinn and Santana were the only reasons she joined in the first place she would probably quit soon. Brittany had originally wanted to join Glee Club, but Santana and Quinn stopped her and got her to join Cheerios instead. Neither of them had planned on joining the next year. Then again, going into freshman year, Santana had never planned on falling for the girl she had made fun of for practically their entire lives. She opened her locker and saw a picture of herself and Rachel that she had tucked in to the locker where no one would be able to see it unless they were snooping through her locker. She smiled and pulled it out of its current spot, placing it in a more visible place in the locker. She smiled again and reached for her workout clothes. She closed the locker and went to the nearest bathroom to change out of her Cheerios uniform. If you had told her at the beginning of her freshman year that she would be quitting her beloved Cheerios in order to be in a relationship with Rachel 'Man Hands' Berry, or even quitting the Cheerios at all, she would have laughed in your face before making you regret saying that to her by almost beating the life out of you. But now she had never felt better about herself. She had no regrets about leaving the Cheerios. Being with Rachel had taught her that there were more important things in life than cheerleading. For Santana, Rachel was one of those more important things. She knew she would do anything to keep being able to have Rachel in her life. And having the guts to yell at Sue Sylvester the way she did made her feel extremely tough. Not many people were able to say that they had told off Sue Sylvester in front of the entire school or even at all. Even if Principal Figgins had been the one to yell at Rachel, Santana would have done the same thing. If she had it her way, no one would ever bother Rachel again. After Santana had changed out of her Cheerios uniform, she went looking for her girlfriend. She found Rachel at her locker and went up behind her. When she reached Rachel, Santana put her arms around Rachel's waist. Rachel leaned into her girlfriend's embrace and smiled, causing Santana to smile and kiss her neck in return. "San, what you did for me earlier was really great." Rachel said.

"Yea well, you're my girl. No one is going to mess with you again. I promise." Santana said. Rachel smiled awkwardly at her girlfriend's confidence.

"What makes you say that?" Rachel asked. Santana looked at her incredulously. "Earth to Santana." Rachel joked.

"What makes me say that? Rachel, I run this school." Santana said. Rachel gave her a sad smile. "What?" she asked.

"Except you _don't_ run the school anymore, S. You are no longer the head cheerleader at this school. You aren't the HBIC. You are just another Glee Club member." Rachel said.

Santana looked at Rachel and then looked down at her Cheerio uniform-less body. "I'm just another Glee loser." Santana said. Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"Hey. Your two best friends are some of those Glee losers. _I'm _one of those so called Glee losers." Rachel said. Santana looked back up to meet her eyes.

"That is not what I meant and you know it. I can't protect you, Rachel. You're not safe if you're with me. I do not have the juice anymore. I do not have the hold on this school to protect you from slushies and stuff like that. Rachel, you should walk away." Santana said.

"San, why do you keep trying to push me away?" Rachel asked. Santana sighed. "No, you do _not_ get to pull away from me like this. You don't get to shut me out. I know exactly what that sigh means and you are going to listen to me. Every time I turn around, it seems as though you are trying to get out of this relationship." Rachel continued.

"Rachel, I don't want out of this relationship. You know that. Or at least, you should know it. I just quit the freaking Cheerios for you. If I wanted out of this relationship, I would not keep fighting to get you back whenever I screw up. If I wanted out, I would break up with you and never look back. I don't want out of this relationship. I will never want out of this relationship. But I can't protect you. And I am so sorry that I can't keep you safe anymore." Santana said. She turned around and started to walk down the hallway. Rachel chased after her.

"Santana!" Rachel called out. She grabbed Santana's arm and turned her around. "Come here." She pulled Santana into the nearest bathroom. "I don't need you to protect me. I can take care of myself. I just need you to be there for me. To help me clean off when I get slushie. I know you want to make it to where I will not get slushied, but it is _going_ to happen. Even if you were still head cheerleader or even on the Cheerios at all, it would not change the fact that I would still get slushied and made fun of. It's just who I am. I have come to accept that. And the fact that being myself still got me the hottest girl in school helped me to accept that." Rachel said.

"Baby, I want you to feel safe." Santana whispered. Rachel smiled and hugged Santana.

"I know you do, sweetie. And I love you for that. But I'm a big girl, Santana. You don't have to look after me. And besides as long as I'm with you, as long as I have you in my life, I will _always_ feel safe." Rachel assured her. Santana smiled at her girlfriend.

"Baby, I don't want you to feel any pain. You shouldn't have to. You love me. I love you. You're with me. You are my girlfriend." Santana said. Rachel laughed.

"Which means I'm already protected from the worst kind of pain there is." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"Which is what?" she asked. Rachel laughed again.

"Heartbreak." Rachel said. Santana smiled and leaned down to kiss Rachel. "What do you think Sue is going to do?" Rachel asked after she pulled away. Santana shrugged.

"Honestly, I have no idea. I'm kind of scared. You know how she can be. I think she will go after you, first, so watch your back. I'll try to be around you as much as I can and our schedules are almost identical with the exception of third period, but those are in the same hallway so I can walk you to your class. But just be careful if you are in the hallway by yourself, like if you go to the bathroom or something." Santana replied. Rachel slowly nodded. "And I know how you feel about your extra practice during free period and after school and we are not going to let Sue Sylvester scare you out of it, so I will sit in and watch you rehearse." Santana continued. Rachel's face lit up.

"You would do that?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded.

"Of course. You have to practice as much as you can if you ever want to be on Broadway." Santana said. She realized how it came out and quickly tried to correct herself. "Not that you aren't good enough." she stammered. Rachel laughed.

"I knew what you meant." Rachel assured her girlfriend. She watched Santana visibly relax at her words and smiled. "Baby, I know you want to protect me, but you don't have to sit in on every single practice session I have." Rachel said.

"What if I want to?" Santana whispered in Rachel's ear. Rachel smiled.

"Sweetie, that is very sweet, but I know you don't really want to." Rachel said. Santana frowned.

"Rachel, I want to spend time with you. And I love listening to you sing. You have a beautiful voice. Why would I not want to listen to you practice?" Santana asked. Rachel smiled and was about to respond when Santana's phone went off. Santana shot Rachel an apologetic smile and checked her phone.

**One new message from:**

**Puck**

**Party my place 2nite. You can bring Rachel.**

Santana smiled at Rachel. "Feel like going to a party tonight?" she asked her girlfriend.

"Where?" Rachel asked. Santana showed her the message. "Puck's house? Are you sure about this, Santana?" Rachel asked.

"Of course I'm sure about this. Come on, everyone already knows about us by now, what with my amazing display of chivalry earlier." Santana said. Rachel simply looked at the other girl. "Come on, Rachel. Let's have fun. Parties are fun." Santana said. Rachel looked at Santana for a moment before sighing and giving in.

"Fine. We can go to Puckerman's party. But I'm _not_ drinking." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"You don't have to baby." Santana said before kissing Rachel.


	11. Chapter 11

Santana and Rachel pulled into Puck's driveway later that night. Before Santana was able to get out of her still semi-new car, Rachel put a hand over hers to stop her. Santana looked back at her girlfriend and saw a serious expression on Rachel's face. She instantly grew worried. "What's wrong, babe?" she asked. Rachel looked at her.

"S, I'm not drinking." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"I know, you already said that. You don't have to." Santana said. Rachel shook her head.

"I don't want you to drink either." Rachel continued. Santana stared her. "San?" Rachel asked, attempting to shake the girl out of her daze.

"Really, Rachel? You don't want me to drink? I'm Santana Lopez. Drinking and parties are synonymous for me." Santana argued.

"Santana, I'm serious. I feel really strongly about this." Rachel said.

"What? Under-age drinking?" Santana asked. Rachel shook her head.

"Drinking in general. I hate alcohol. It's caused my family so much grief. A few of my family members have suffered from alcoholism and some have even died from alcohol poisoning. My favorite cousin was killed in a drinking and driving car accident the summer before freshman year. She was sixteen, she had been drinking, and she was on her way home from a party late one night." Rachel said.

"Oh, Rachel, I'm so sorry. I had no idea. Why didn't you ever tell me?" Santana asked her girlfriend. She pulled Rachel into a hug.

"Because it makes me sad and telling the story can't change the fact that it happened. But I can prevent losing you as well. Promise me you won't drink tonight, Santana." Rachel begged. Santana slowly nodded.

"If it means that much to you, I promise not to drink." Santana said. Rachel smiled and kissed Santana.

"Thank you so much, Santana." Rachel said.

"Anything for you, Rachel." Santana said. The two got out of the car and walked into the party. Puck immediately walked over and offered Santana a drink. Rachel held her breath. Santana shook her head. "No thanks, Puck. I'm good." she said. Puck raised his eyebrows.

"Seriously, Santana? _You're_ turning down a drink?" he asked. Santana nodded.

"My girl doesn't like drinking, so I'm not going to drink." she said, putting her arm around Rachel's waist and pulling her closer.

"Can you say whipped?" Puck asked, laughing. Santana glared.

"I'm not whipped, Puck. I'm in love. There's a big difference. If you'd date a girl longer than a night, you would know." Santana said. Puck's face fell. No one knew that he was in love with Quinn Fabray. If she asked him to give up drinking, he would in a heartbeat.

"Whatever, Santana. Find me if you want to change your mind." Puck said. He walked away from the two. Rachel smiled up at Santana.

"Thank you." she said. Santana smiled back at Rachel.

"Anytime, baby." Santana said. She grabbed Rachel's hand and led her to the living room. They sat down on the couch and Santana stared longingly at the keg. She didn't know how to function at a Noah Puckerman party, or any party for that matter, without drinking. The thought alone made her feel a little embarrassed. She felt Rachel put a hand on her shoulder. She looked back at Rachel and noticed she looked sad. "What's up?" she asked.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you how I felt before we got here. We could have skipped the party." Rachel said. Santana smiled and shook her head.

"You have nothing to apologize for. You didn't do anything wrong." Santana said to Rachel. The shorter girl smiled and leaned closer to whisper in Santana's ear.

"By the way, you lied to Puck when you said that you aren't whipped. You totally are and we both know it." Rachel whispered in her ear. Santana smiled.

"That may be true, but people don't need to know that. Especially not _Noah Puckerman_, of all people." Santana replied. Rachel laughed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Rachel agreed. Santana nodded.

"When am I not right?" she asked. Rachel looked at her and then looked away. When Santana didn't receive a response, she looked at Rachel. "Rachel? Hello? Rachel? Why… why are you ignoring my question?" Santana frantically asked. Rachel smiled and shook her head.

"No reason, my dear. You keep up that positive attitude, okay?" Rachel teased. Santana glared at her for a moment before breaking out into a grin. From across the room, Finn glared at the pair. He turned to Puck.

"Why isn't Santana drinking?" he asked. Puck smirked.

"Rachel doesn't like drinking, so Santana isn't drinking either." Puck said.

"She doesn't look like she's having a lot of fun." Finn said. Puck shrugged. "We should do something." Puck looked back at him. "What? I want San to have fun and enjoy herself." Finn said.

"What did you have in mind?" Puck asked.

"Truth or dare. We give her dares that there is no way she can do and then she has to drink." Finn said. Puck hesitated before smiling.

"Cool." Puck said. Finn nodded and turned back to the pair. Rachel and Santana were laughing about something.

"Hey, I'm going to go outside for a while. I want some fresh air." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"Okay, do you want me to come with you?" Santana asked. Rachel shook her head.

"No, why don't you go find Brittany or Quinn?" Rachel suggested. She wanted Santana to have at least a little fun at the party. Santana hesitated before nodding.

"Okay, if you're sure…" Santana said. Rachel gave her a reassuring smile before going to the backyard. Puck came up to Santana.

"Truth or dare. You in?" Puck asked. Santana hesitated, looking in the direction Rachel had just gone, before nodding. "San, you're first. Truth or dare?" Puck asked. Santana smirked.

"Do I look like a wimp? Dare." Santana said. Puck grinned.

"Excellent. I dare you to… kiss Jew Fro." Puck said. Santana's eyes went wide when she saw Jacob.

"Puck, there is no way I can do that. That is insane." Santana said. Puck smiled.

"Do it or drink, S. Those are the rules." Puck said. Santana stared at Jacob, then down at the drink Puck was offering her. She looked in the direction of the backyard before taking the drink and downing it. She felt bad at first, but the alcohol quickly took that feeling away. She was given at least ten dares that she would never do. A little too late, she finally caught on to Puck's plan and immediately vowed to take the next dare, even though Rachel would already be mad at her for getting drunk. She saw Finn and Puck share a look and a nod when she chose dare. "I dare you to hook up with Matt." Puck said.

"What?" Santana asked, forgetting her vow. Her eyes were wide.

"Do it or drink." Puck said. Santana looked at the drink and shook her head.

"Fine. I'll do it. Just make sure Rachel stays outside, okay? This doesn't get back to her." Santana slurred. The entire group nodded, even Finn. Santana and Matt went to Puck's room. "Let's get this over with already." Santana said. Back in the main room, Finn immediately went in search of Rachel.

"Hey." he said. Rachel looked up in surprise.

"Hi." she said. They hadn't talked since the beginning of the semester. "What's up?" she asked. He smiled at her.

"Nothing much. Why don't you come inside? I think Santana is looking around for you." he said. Rachel nodded and stood up. Finn led her inside.

"Where's Santana?" Rachel asked. Finn grabbed her hand and led her through the living room and into the hallway.

"I think she went this way looking for you." Finn said. He reached for Puck's doorknob and Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Just in case." he said. She sighed and nodded. He opened the door. "Santana, are you in there?" he asked as he and Rachel walked in. Rachel's eyes went wide and she gasped as she saw Santana and Matt half-dressed and making out. She felt her jaw drop open. Santana looked at Rachel, and then looked down at the situation she was in. She silently swore before pulling herself off of Matt and standing up. She tried to walk toward Rachel but she stumbled. She caught her balance on the bedside table. Rachel just looked at her and shook her head in disappointment and partially in disgust.

"Rachel." Santana slurred. Rachel backed away from her. "Rach." Rachel shook her head and looked at Finn.

"Can you please take me home, Finn?" Rachel asked. Finn nodded. Rachel slowly walked up to Santana. "I've never been more disappointed in you than right now." Rachel whispered. Santana bowed her head in shame.

"Rach, I'm really sorry." Santana said. Rachel just shook her head and walked out of the room. Santana glared at Finn. "If I find out that you had something to do with this, you're going to want to run for your life." she threatened. Finn rolled his eyes and walked out of the room. Santana kicked the wall and found Quinn, asking her to drive her home.


	12. Chapter 12

**How did Rachel find out about what happened? –S**

**Finn went out and got her after you went in the other room. –P**

**Whose brilliant idea was it to get me drunk? –S**

**Finn's. He said he wanted you to have fun, so he created this whole plan to get you drunk. –P**

Santana stared at her phone as she read the single word on the screen. She shook with anger. Quinn watched from the opposite side of the room with worry. "S, are you okay over there?" she asked. Santana shook her head.

"Drive me to Rachel's house." Santana said. Quinn raised an eyebrow and began to protest. Santana held up a hand to silence her. "Don't want to hear it, Fabray. Drive me to Rachel's house." she said. Quinn nodded and grabbed her keys. The drive to Rachel's house was silent. The moment Quinn put the car in park, Santana was out of the vehicle and sprinting up the Berry's driveway to the front door. She rang the doorbell and impatiently waited for someone to open it. She had to talk to Rachel. Back in the car, Quinn noticed something Santana hadn't. She knew she had to stop her best friend before she saw Rachel's other houseguest. Santana was about to ring the doorbell again when Leroy opened the door. "Mr. Berry. Hi. Is Rachel home?" Santana asked. Leroy looked at her with a surprised face.

"Santana, I wasn't expecting you." Leroy said, looking over his shoulder.

"Is she here?" Santana asked.

"Santana, I don't think it's a good idea for you to be here. She told me what happened at the party." Leroy said. Santana looked down.

"Mr. Berry, I really need to talk to her. I need to try to make it right." Santana said. Leroy looked at her for a moment before giving in.

"You can come in. Let me go get her." Leroy said. Quinn saw her start to go into the house.

"S!" she yelled from her car. Santana turned around, shook her head, and walked into the house. "Crap." Quinn said. She got out of her car and ran to the door. Santana, followed by Quinn walked into the Berry household and saw Finn coming down the stairs. She narrowed her eyes and launched herself at the boy. She punched him until he fell to the ground.

"You stupid gigantic jerk! You set me up! You're trying to ruin everything! You're trying to get Rachel mad at me so she'll break up with me and go back to you! Why can you not get it through your head that Rachel loves _me_?" Santana yelled. Rachel heard the commotion and ran down the stairs. She saw Santana kicking the boy.

"Santana!" Rachel exclaimed. She ran over to the angry girl and attempted to pull her away. However, Santana was much stronger than Rachel. Leroy stepped in and pulled the angry girl away from Finn, struggling to restrain her. Quinn started to go help, but Rachel saw her and stopped her. "Quinn, I don't think that is a good idea. I don't want you and the baby to get hurt." Rachel said. Quinn nodded and stepped out of the way. "Santana, that was completely inappropriate and I really don't think you should be here right now!" Rachel said.

"Rachel, I'm sorry okay? I know I shouldn't have drunk, but I did. We were playing Truth or Dare, which was Finn's idea by the way. Puck's version of Truth or Dare involves no truths, only dares. Every dare I was given was violating to you in some way, with the exception of having to kiss Jew Fro, which was _not_ happening. I love you! I wasn't going to expose you like that!" Santana said. Rachel felt her heart melt and she immediately made her way over to the struggling girl. She grabbed Santana's neck and put her mouth to Santana's ear.

"Baby, I'm going to need you to calm down, okay?" Rachel whispered. Santana nodded and Rachel softly stroked Santana's neck to calm her down. When it seemed as though Santana was calm, Rachel stopped her motions. Not wanting a repeat of the infamous Sue Sylvester incident, Rachel stepped in front of Santana and placed her hands on Santana's shoulders. "You and I are going to walk to the couch and sit down, okay?" Rachel said to the other girl. Santana nodded. Rachel looked at Finn. "Finn, stay where you are." she ordered. Without waiting for a response, she gently guided Santana to the couch and the girl sat down. Rachel sat down on the girl's lap, knowing that that was the surefire way to make sure Santana didn't attack Finn. "Now tell me what happened." Rachel said to Santana.

"Right after you went outside, Puck came up to me and asked me to play Truth or Dare. I said yes and then my first dare was to kiss Jew Fro. I wasn't going to do that for obvious reasons, so I took the drink. Every single dare after that was violating your privacy in some way. I would never do that to you. I figured you'd be more upset with me for that than for drinking. But the final dare wasn't violating your privacy and I hated myself for breaking my promise to you, so I took the dare. I wasn't going to go any farther with him than you saw. He was cool with that. But we couldn't completely lie otherwise we'd have to drink and we thought Puck would walk in to make sure we weren't skipping out. We weren't expecting you to walk in. I'm so sorry baby." Santana said. Rachel nodded.

"What did you mean by Finn set you up?" Rachel asked.

"Puck said that it was Finn's idea to get me in the Truth or Dare game. He wanted me to drink so I could have fun. He told Puck to give me impossible dares so I would have to drink. He just wanted you to catch me. That's why he led you to me, Rachel." Santana said. Rachel glared at Finn.

"You can't seriously believe her." Finn said. Rachel nodded.

"Of course I do." Rachel said. Santana smiled up at her girlfriend.

"Why? Why wouldn't she cheat on you? It was only a matter of time! She's the town's bicycle, Rachel." Finn yelled. Santana's jaw dropped. Rachel gasped and jumped up.

"Get out of my house. If you are going to insult my girlfriend, then get out of my house. I don't want you to come back in here ever again, is that clear?" Rachel yelled.

"Rachel, I…" Finn stammered before Rachel slapped him.

"Out!" she yelled. This time, it was Santana who had to hold Rachel back.

"Calm down, babe." Santana said. Rachel shook with anger as Finn left her house. As soon as the door was closed, Rachel slumped into Santana's embrace. The taller girl was desperately trying not to laugh. "Oh my god, baby. Rachel, are you okay?" Santana asked. Rachel furiously shook her head. "What's wrong, sweetie?" Santana asked.

"You shouldn't have to go through that. It's not right. It's not fair." Rachel said. Santana smiled sadly at her girlfriend.

"Rachel, its okay. Really, I'm fine. I'm used to it by now. And I really don't care what Finn Hudson has to say. As long as you don't think those things about me and as long as you and I are okay, then I'm okay." Santana said.

"I could never think those things about you, Santana." Rachel said. Santana smiled at Rachel.

"Tiny…" she said. That was the only nickname concerning her height that Rachel allowed. Rachel shook her head to silence Santana.

"No. They're mean, and hurtful, and I just could never think them because I could never believe that they are true." Rachel said.

Santana smiled at Rachel. "Baby, I am so sorry that I drank at the party." she said, looking down. Rachel gently turned her head back up.

"It's okay." Rachel whispered. Santana shook her head.

"No its not. I betrayed your trust. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I'm asking for it anyway." Santana said.

"Of course I forgive you, Santana." Rachel said. Santana slightly smiled.

"Why?" Santana asked.

"Because I love you, San. I'm not going to let a small thing break us up. Especially since you only drank because you were trying to protect me." Rachel explained. Santana smiled wider.

"I love you so much, Rachel." Santana said. Rachel smiled and hugged Santana who quickly returned the hug.

"I love you too, Santana." Rachel said. Santana leaned down and kissed Rachel. She smiled up at Santana. "No more breakups. I don't think I can take anymore. We can fight as much as you want as long as we're back together before I go to sleep that night." The taller girl nodded.

"I never want to break up again." Santana replied. "I'd rather not even _fight_ again, but I mean, come on. We're Rachel Berry and Santana Lopez. We're _going_ to argue. But I never want to break up again."


	13. Chapter 13

Rachel was woken up by the sound of her phone ringing. She looked at her clock and saw that it read _6:00 __A.M.. _She picked up her phone to see who was calling her at six in the morning on a Saturday.

**Incoming Call From:**

**Sanny**

Worry instantly flooded Rachel. Santana never woke up before ten on weekends. She quickly answered her phone. "Santana?" she asked.

"Rachel?" she heard a deep voice say. She instantly recognized it.

"Dr. Lopez? Is everything okay?" Rachel asked. She had no idea why her girlfriend's father would call her on Santana's phone.

"Rachel, I'm so sorry to bother you at this hour, but I think Santana really needs you right now. If it is at all possible, can you come to the house?" Dr. Lopez requested. Rachel nodded even though he couldn't see her.

"I'm on my way. Is Santana okay?" Rachel asked, every worst-case scenario suddenly popping in her head.

"Physically, yes. Just please hurry, Rachel. Santana needs you." Dr. Lopez said. That was all Rachel needed to hear. She dressed in record time and jumped in her car after scribbling a note to her fathers. She was extremely thankful that Santana lived two blocks away from her. She quickly pulled into the Lopez's driveway, jumped out of her car, and sprinted up the walkway. She knocked on the door and impatiently waited for someone to open it. Santana's stepmother, Kristy, greeted her.

"Rachel, hi. Come in. Santana's upstairs in her room." Kristy said. She was holding Santana's six-month-old baby half-brother Dexter. In any normal situation, Rachel would have stopped to play with the baby before finding her girlfriend. However, this was most definitely not a normal situation, so Rachel settled for kissing the child's forehead before traveling upstairs to Santana's room. She briefly paused to say hi to Santana's cheery four-year-old half-sister Mia and her thirteen-year-old brother Isaac. She could tell by the look on Isaac's face that something was wrong. She immediately ran up the stairs to Santana's room. The door was partially open and she could hear Santana crying and Dr. Lopez trying to calm her down.

"Santana, _mija_, it's going to be okay. I promise. You'll get through this." he was saying to her. Slowly, Rachel entered the room. He looked up. "Hi." he said. She waved and attempted to smile, but the sight of her girlfriend crying stopped that from happening. She slowly walked over to the vacant side of Santana's bed and knelt down on the ground, stroking Santana's hair. Dr. Lopez left the room and closed the door.

"Tiny…" Santa whispered. Rachel stood up and walked to the other side of the bed. She climbed on the bed and lay down so that she was facing Santana. As soon as they made eye contact Santana began crying harder and buried her face into Rachel's shoulder.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Rachel asked, hugging her girlfriend closer. Santana shook her head. "S, I know something happened. Please talk to me." Rachel said.

"My mom came by this morning." Santana said. Confused, Rachel looked at a clock.

"But its only 6:30." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"I know. She came over to my house at five. She woke all of us up." Santana said. Rachel nodded.

"What did she want?" Rachel knew this couldn't be good. She had never personally met Santana's mother, only seen her during elementary school events until she walked out on Santana's family when Santana was nine.

"She wanted to show off her new husband. She got remarried last weekend." Santana said. Rachel's eyes widened. "I haven't spoken to my mom in eight years and she shows up out of the blue with a new husband and new kids."

"Does it hurt you that she didn't tell you she was getting married?" Rachel asked. Her girlfriend shook her head.

"It hurt me that she was bragging so much about her new daughter and son and didn't even ask Isaac or I was doing. It was like we were distant relatives you saw once every few years, not her children." Santana said.

"Baby, it's going to be okay. You don't need your mom. Kristy loves you as if you were her own daughter." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"I know. And I love her. I love Mia and Dex, too. I just wish my _mother_ wanted to be apart of my life. I wish she loved me." Santana said. She began crying again. Rachel reached over and stroked her hair to calm her down. "Why doesn't she love me, Tiny?"

"I'm sure she does, Santana." Rachel tried to assure her girlfriend. Santana shook her head furiously.

"No she doesn't! She hasn't called me since she left and then she comes to flaunt her new family in my face! My own mother doesn't love me." Santana exclaimed.

"Your dad loves you. Kristy loves you. Your siblings love you. I love you. You're an amazing person. If your mom can't see that, then she's blind. If she doesn't love you, then she's stupid. Because you are amazing." Rachel said. Santana shook her head again.

"I'm not worth loving, Tiny." Santana whispered.

"Wha… what?" Rachel asked.

"I'm not worth loving. That's what my mom said. She said she left because we weren't worth giving up her dream." Santana said. Rachel's eyes widened.

"I don't want you to ever let someone tell you that you aren't worth loving again. To me, you're worth everything. You are worth every single thing." Rachel said

Santana began sobbing again. This time, it broke Rachel. She began crying as well.

"Shh… sweetie. It's going to be okay. I'll help you get through this. I'm here for you. I love you, Santana." Rachel said. She hugged Santana and the taller girl hugged herself to the diva's body. Suddenly, a tiny voice broke their embrace.

"Tana?" Santana sat up, wiping her eyes and attempting to smile.

"Hey Mamma Mia. What's going on?" Santana asked. She gestured for her little sister to join her on the bed. The young girl quickly obliged and jumped into her big sister's arms.

"Why are you sad?" Mia asked. Santana looked at Rachel.

"I'm not sad, sweetie." Santana said. Mia shook her head. "What makes you think I'm sad?" Santana asked.

"You never cry." Mia said.

"That's not true. I cry. Right, Rachel?" Santana asked.

"Rarely." Rachel said. Santana glared at Rachel. "Right sorry. Yea, Santana cries sometimes." she covered. Mia shook her head.

"Tana doesn't cry." she insisted. Santana and Rachel chuckled. Santana hugged her little sister to her body.

"Mia, you're right. I am sad. You know how my mommy came to visit earlier?" Santana asked. Mia nodded. "Well, she hurt my feelings. That's why I'm sad." she continued.

"Is Rachel going to make you feel better?" Mia asked. Rachel nodded.

"I'm going to make sure Santana isn't sad anymore, I promise." Rachel said. Mia nodded.

"Okay." Mia said. She hugged Santana, jumped off the bed and ran out the room. Santana chuckled as she watched her little sister leave.

"Oh, Sanny…" Rachel said as Santana fell back on her pillow. Rachel leaned over and stroked her hair. "You okay?" she whispered.

"No. But I will be." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"How about I take you to breakfast?" Rachel suggested. Santana slightly smiled and nodded.

"I'd like that." Santana said. Rachel nodded and kissed Santana softly.

"You're going to make it through this, I promise. And I'm going to help you every step of the way." Rachel promised. Santana smiled.

"Thank you, Tiny." Santana whispered. She put her head in Rachel's lap and sighed as the girl stroked her hair. "I just want to stay here for a bit."

"We can go whenever you're ready to, San. There's no rush." Rachel said.


	14. Chapter 14

Rachel and Santana stayed like that for half an hour. Santana remained with her head in Rachel's lap and Rachel continued to stroke Santana's hair in a calming manner. After thirty minutes, Santana stood up. "Do you want to go eat now?" Santana asked. Rachel looked at her.

"Only if you're ready to go. I told you, Santana, we're in no rush." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"I'm ready to go, Rachel. I've been up for two hours and I haven't eaten anything. I'm hungry." Santana said. Rachel nodded.

"Okay. Let's go then. Where do you want to go eat? And I'm pretty sure Breadsticks _doesn't_ serve breakfast, so choose something else." Rachel said. Santana huffed.

"Fine. We'll go somewhere else." Santana said, pouting. Rachel laughed.

"Just decide while you're getting ready, okay?" Rachel said. Santana smiled at Rachel and nodded. "'Kay." Rachel whispered and started to walk past Santana. The taller girl spun her around and kissed her.

"Thank you." Santana said.

"For what?" Rachel asked.

"For being here." Santana explained. Rachel smiled.

"Of course, sweetie. I have to go back home to get ready…" Rachel said. Santana shook her head.

"Why? You look amazing." Santana said. Rachel looked down. She had gotten dressed in five minutes. She had pulled the first pair of sweats she grabbed out of her closet and threw it on. Her hair was up in a loose ponytail and her only makeup was foundation, which she never left the house without wearing.

"What are you talking about? I'm wearing sweats with my hair in a ponytail and only foundation on." Rachel said.

"And you've never looked hotter to me. I love your natural look. You're naturally beautiful." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"At least loan me some make up and a hair brush." Rachel said. Santana nodded and hugged Rachel. The smaller girl immediately returned the hug. Santana went into her adjoined bathroom and handed Rachel her makeup bag and her hairbrush. Rachel went to Santana's vanity and put on her makeup while Santana got dressed. Santana then proceeded to put on her makeup while Rachel patiently sat on her bed. When Santana was finished, she turned to Rachel. "You look beautiful, S." Rachel said. Santana smiled and walked toward Rachel. She leaned closer to Rachel until they were less than an inch apart from each other.

"Thank you." Santana whispered. She leaned in and softly kissed Rachel. "I love you, Rach." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"I love you too. Where do you want to go for breakfast?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know… you want to go to IHOP or something?" Santana suggested. Rachel nodded.

"IHOP sounds wonderful. Let's go." Rachel said. She grabbed her wallet, her phone, and her phone. The two girls walked downstairs hand in hand and went into the living room where the rest of Santana's family had gathered.

"_Mija_." Dr. Lopez said in surprise. He certainly hadn't expected to see his daughter out of her bed this morning. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"Better. I'll be okay, Daddy." Santana said. Her parents smiled.

"Where are you girls going?" Kristy asked curiously. Santana smiled.

"We were going to go to breakfast. Is that okay with you guys?" Santana asked. Her parents nodded.

"Of course it is, sweetie. Go ahead." Dr. Lopez said. Mia jumped off the couch and ran to Santana.

"I want to go, Tana. I want to go!" she yelled. Santana smiled sadly at the little girl and squatted down so she was eye level "I want to go." she said softly.

"Oh chica, you know I would love for you to go with us. But its just going to be Rachel and I this time, okay?" Santana said. Mia looked at Santana, then at Rachel, before looking back at Santana. Santana saw her lip quiver before the young girl opened her mouth to speak.

"You like Rachel better than me. You don't like me anymore. I… I hate you, Tana!" Mia said before pushing past Santana. Since the girl was squatting on her heels, the impact caused her to lose her balance on fall on her back.

"Mia!" Kristy yelled. Rachel helped Santana up. "Santana, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" she asked. Santana nodded. "I'll go talk to her." Kristy said. Santana shook her head.

"Let me do it." Santana said. She turned to go upstairs before slowly turning around. "Rachel…" she trailed off. Rachel shook her head.

"Its okay, San. Go." Rachel said, smiling encouragingly. Santana smiled and ran after her sister. She went to the girl's room.

"Mia? Are you okay?" Santana asked the four-year-old.

"Go away." Mia said. Santana ignored her and went to the girl's side.

"I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. Its just, you know how Rachel told you she was going to make me feel better?" Santana asked. Mia nodded. "Well, this is apart of her attempt to make me feel better." she continued. Mia didn't look at her older sister. "Mia, do you really hate me?" Santana asked. Mia nodded.

"You like Rachel better than you like me." Mia said.

"Mia, that's not true. I love both of you. I just love you guys in different ways." Santana said.

"What do you mean?" Mia asked.

"Well, you're my sister. Rachel is my girlfriend. You know how Daddy and Kristy love each other?" Santana said. Mia nodded. "Well, that's how I love Rachel. And I love you like I love Isaac or Dex." Santana said. Mia didn't say anything. "Hey, you want to know a secret?" Santana asked.

"Yes." Mia said.

"I'll always love you more than I love Isaac." Santana said, smiling. Mia smiled up at her sister and allowed Santana to hug her. "Are you still mad at me?" Santana asked. Mia shook her head. "Good. Now… can I go to breakfast with Rachel?" she asked.

"Yes… I love you Tana." Mia said. Santana smiled.

"I love you too, Mia. How about this. How about I take you somewhere fun another day, okay?" Santana suggested. Mia nodded.

"Can we go to Breadsticks?" Mia asked. Santana laughed.

"Yea, we can go to Breadsticks. I'll take you to the zoo, too." Santana promised. She leaned down, kissed her sister's head, and hugged her. She walked out of the room and almost ran into Rachel. She looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay." Rachel whispered. Santana smiled.

"I'm fine. Everything's okay." Santana said. Rachel nodded and the two went downstairs, said goodbye to Santana's parents, and went to Rachel's car. As Rachel drove, she looked at Santana with an amused expression. "What?" Santana asked.

"You offer to take your four-year-old sister somewhere fun and she asks to go to _Breadsticks_ of all places?" Rachel asked. Santana laughed.

"What can I say? Everyone does say that she's a lot like me." Santana said. Rachel laughed and pulled into the IHOP parking lot. Soon, the two were seated and ordering. As they waited for their food, Santana looked around the restaurant to see if she knew anybody. Just as she was about to return her attention fully back to Rachel, something caught her eye. Unconsciously, she gasped. Rachel noticed this.

"Sanny? Are you okay?" Rachel asked. Santana shook her head. "What's wrong, sweetie?" Rachel asked, concerned.

"My… my mom just walked in." Santana said. Rachel followed Santana's gaze and saw Santana's mother.

"Are you okay?" Rachel whispered. Santana nodded.

"Yea… yea. As long as she doesn't see me. I can picture two scenarios if she does. Either she sees me and comes over here or she sees me and she ignores me. Either one is terrible." Santana said.

"Do you want to leave?" Rachel asked. Santana shook her head.

"No. We already ordered and I'm not going to let her dictate where I go to eat." Santana said. Rachel nodded.

"Can I ask a question? Its about your mom." Rachel said. Santana nodded. "Well, when we were in your room you said you haven't talked to your mom for eight years." Rachel said.

"Yea… and?" Santana asked, confused.

"Well, I thought your mom left when you were nine. We aren't seventeen." Rachel said.

"Before she walked out on us, she spent an entire year on supposed business trips. She never called, just sent the occasional postcard. She didn't even say goodbye to Isaac and I when she walked out." Santana said. Rachel nodded.

"I'm so sorry, Santana." Rachel said.

"Its not your fault." Santana said, looking down. Rachel started to say something, but was interrupted by a new voice.

"Santana?" a woman said. Santana's eyes widened and the two girls looked up. Rachel bit her lip and looked at Santana before looking back up at the woman.

"Mom…" Santana said. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, we just got done spending time with some old friends of mine and decided to come to breakfast." Santana's mother said. She glanced at Rachel, who took that as her cue to introduce herself.

"Hi Mrs…." Rachel trailed off.

"Karen Young." Santana's mother said.

"Mrs. Young, I'm Rachel Berry. I don't know if you remember me, but I was in Santana's class every year in elementary school." Rachel said.

"Oh yes. I do remember you. You're the one with the two fathers, right?" Karen asked in a discourteous tone. Rachel closed her eyes and looked at Santana before answering.

"Yes, I am." Rachel answered. Karen scoffed and nodded.

"Well, to each his own, right?" she condescendingly asked. "So what are you two doing here together? Are you friends with her, Santana?" she asked. Santana got visibly angry at the way her mother was talking to Rachel.

"Rachel's my girlfriend, Mom. I'm in love with her." Santana said.

"You're what? Santana, you can't be…" Karen trailed off and glared accusingly at Rachel. "You did this to her. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, huh? You didn't have to corrupt my daughter." Karen said. Santana interrupted.

"That is enough, Mom. You don't get to come back after walking out and judge my girlfriend. Not that your opinion matters. And for the record, I asked Rachel out. Not the other way around." Santana said.

"Santana, you can't… this isn't right." Karen said. "Zoey would never-" Santana interrupted her mother.

"Then why don't you go back to your perfect family? And don't worry about trying to stay involved in Isaac's and my lives. We really don't need you." Santana said.

"Does Max know about this relationship?" Karen asked.

"Yes. Dad is very supportive of us. He loves Rachel. Can you please leave us alone now?" Santana requested. Karen looked at her daughter before walking away and gestured for her family to follow her. Santana watched as they got in their car and left the restaurant. "Are you okay?" she asked Rachel.

"I'm fine. The question is, are _you_ okay?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded. "Is she moving back to Lima?" she asked.

"Yea… she's staying at the Lima Hotel until they find a house. Lima just gained an awful family, huh?" Santana asked. Rachel could tell that she was trying to brush it off, but she was truly hurt.

"You're hurting. I can tell." Rachel said.

"Rachel, I'm fine. Can we please eat?" Santana requested as their food was placed in front of them. Rachel dropped the subject and started to eat. As they walked out of the restaurant, Santana grabbed Rachel's hand and pulled her close. "I'm sorry for snapping at you in there. You were right. I am hurting." Santana said. Rachel hugged Santana.

"I know you are. That makes me hurt. But I promise I'm going to do everything I can to make you better." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"Thanks, Tiny." Santana said.

"I love you." Rachel said.

"I love you too. Do you want to come over?" Santana asked. Rachel shook her head.

"I'd love to, but I have something to take care of. I'll call you." Rachel said. She drove Santana home and then drove to the Lima Hotel. She walked into the lobby. "Hi, can you tell me what room Karen Young is staying in?" she asked.


	15. Chapter 15

Rachel walked into the lobby of the Lima Hotel and went to the front desk. "Hi, can you tell me what room Karen Young is staying in?" she asked the desk clerk.

"I am not really supposed to give out room numbers." the clerk said. Rachel sighed.

"I know and I would never ask you to do this if it wasn't extremely important." Rachel said. The clerk looked at her for a moment before giving in.

"Fine. But don't tell anyone about this." he said. He checked his computer. "She's staying in room… 204." Rachel smiled.

"Thank you so much." she said. She went in search of the elevator and made her way up to the second floor. As she reached the door to room 204, she stopped. She thought about how Santana would react if she knew where she was and what she was about to do. She quickly pushed that thought out of her mind. '_Santana is always defending me and sticking up for me. It's my turn to do the same for her._' she thought. She knocked on the door. Santana's mother opened it.

"Oh, its you. Its Rachel, right?" she asked. Rachel nodded. "What do you want?" she asked. Rachel took a deep breath.

"Mrs. Young, I'd like to talk to you. Its important." Rachel said. Karen looked at her for a moment before sighing.

"Come in." She opened the door so Rachel could enter the room. Rachel sat on a chair across the room. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I'd like to talk to you about what happened in the restaurant and even this morning at Santana's house. What you said, it hurt Santana. It's not fair of you to come back after years of absence and flaunt your new family. It hurts her to think that you left her for someone better than her. And when Santana is hurting, I'm hurting. I don't like it when she's upset. Now, I'm not a violent person and I usually don't tend to hold grudges, but when someone is hurting the people I love, I get angry. And whether you like it or not, I love your daughter." Rachel said.

"Santana isn't my daughter." Karen spoke up. That threw Rachel off.

"Wha… what?" Rachel sputtered.

"My daughter would never be like _that_." Karen said. Rachel all but blew up.

"Whether you acknowledge it or not, Santana is your daughter. And your daughter is an amazing person who would do anything for her family and her friends. She's the best person I know and she has a good heart. She's extremely talented at both cheerleading and singing." Rachel said.

"Santana can sing?" Karen asked. Rachel nodded.

"You might have known that if you had bothered to try to talk to her since she was eight years old." Rachel said. Karen sprung across the room and slapped Rachel, who unconsciously backed up.

"Get out." Karen hissed.

"No. Not until you agree to apologize to Santana!" Rachel demanded.

"I'll do nothing of the sort." Karen said.

"How did such an awful woman give birth to such an amazing girl and such an awesome boy. Your kids are lucky they inherited their personalities from Dr. Lopez." Rachel said, flinching as Karen came at her again, punching her in the exact same spot she had just slapped the girl.

"I'm going to give you one more chance to leave." Karen warned. Rachel reached up and felt blood near her mouth. Quickly, she left the room. She didn't know where she wanted to go. She didn't want to see Santana at that moment and she didn't want to go home either, as she was sure there was a handprint and a bruise on her face. She decided to drive to the park. Just as she turned into the parking lot, her phone went off.

**New Message**

**Sanny**

**I know. My house. Now.**

She'd been busted. Karen had most likely called Santana. She thought about ignoring the message, but knew that would just make it worse. Sighing, she pulled out of the lot and drove to Santana's house. When she pulled into the driveway, she stayed in her car for about five minutes before a furious Santana came out of the house and stood on the porch, waiting for Rachel. Rachel sighed, turned off her car, and got out. She walked up the pathway and hurried past Santana into the Lopez house. The front door slammed behind her and Santana pushed past her, motioning for Rachel to follow her. Santana led them upstairs into Santana's bedroom. Santana shut that door quieter. Rachel leaned on Santana's wall, not meeting her eyes. "I just… I don't even know what to say to you right now, Rachel. Why did you go talk to her?" Santana asked.

"I was angry with her for hurting you." Rachel said.

"Rachel you had no right to do that. She's not your mother." Santana said.

"I know, I just… you're always defending me when people hurt my feelings. I just wanted to be able to do the same for you. I know I overstepped my boundaries and I'm sorry." Rachel said. Santana's face softened. She sat down on her bed and motioned for Rachel to join her. Rachel sat down away from Santana, leaning on the girl's pillows. The taller girl moved closer to her.

"Tell me what happened. Start from the beginning." Santana softly said. She put her arm around Rachel's shoulder, prompting the girl to lean her head on Santana's shoulder in return. Santana slightly smiled and gently put her head on top of Rachel's.

"After I dropped you off, I headed to the Lima Hotel. I persuaded the clerk to tell me her room number and then went to her room. She opened the door and was visibly upset that I was there. Anyway, I told her that what she said had hurt you and that I don't like when my loved ones are being hurt by others. I also told her that even though she doesn't like it, we're in love and she can't do anything about the fact that I love her daughter. She went on to say…" Rachel trailed off, not wanting to tell Santana the next part.

"What did she say?" Santana asked. Rachel shook her head. "Rachel, please tell me. I need to know." she pleaded.

"She said that you aren't her daughter because her daughter would never be this way." she said. Santana closed her eyes. "Baby, I'm so sorry you had to hear that."

"Its okay. Please continue." Santana said.

"I told her that she would always be her daughter and that you're an amazing person who is extremely talented. She seemed surprised when I told her you could sing. Then I told her that if she bothered to call you once in awhile, she may have known that. She said some other stuff and I basically questioned how such an awful person could have given birth to you and your brother. That's when she…" Rachel trailed off again.

"That's when she what?" Santana asked. Rachel lifted her head off of Santana's shoulder and looked away. Santana noticed the red print, bruise, and blood on Rachel's face. She instantly got worried. "Rachel, what happened? And please don't lie to me." Santana said.

"She got mad when I told her that, so she lashed out." Rachel said. Santana's eyes widened.

"She hit you?" Santana exclaimed. Rachel closed her eyes.

"When I yelled at her for never calling you, she slapped me. When I made the comment about how awful she was, she punched me." Rachel said. She could feel Santana getting angry.

"That's it." Santana said. She jumped up off of her bed and went to grab her phone, wallet, and keys.

"Sanny, wait." Rachel protested. She got off the bed and tried to stop Santana. The taller girl whipped around.

"No one lays a hand on you. Ever. You're my diva, not the world's punching bag. I'm not letting this go, Rachel." Santana said. Rachel looked at her for a moment before kissing her.

"I'm sorry I went to your mom." Rachel apologized. Santana shook her head.

"She's my mother. Not my mom." Santana said. Rachel gave her a sad smile. "I have Kristy for that position." she continued. She smiled, turned around, and went to her car with Rachel following closely behind.


	16. Chapter 16

It was all Santana could do not to speed the entire drive to the Lima Hotel. She pulled into the parking lot and parked the car. She noticed Rachel taking off her seatbelt and shook her head. "Stay in the car, Rachel." Santana said.

"I'm not telling you the room number unless I'm coming with you." Rachel said. Santana sighed. She couldn't very well find her mother without the room number and she didn't think the clerk would tell her after he already told Rachel.

"Fine. But you stay behind me. I'm not going to let her hurt you again. I don't want you to go near her." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"I know you'll protect me. I'll be fine." Rachel said. Santana took her hand and they walked into the hotel. They walked quickly to the elevators. When they got inside, Santana looked expectantly at Rachel. "Second floor." Rachel said. Santana pushed the button. When they reached the second floor, Rachel led them to room 204. When they reached the door for the room, Santana knocked much louder than Rachel would have preferred and she moved to the side so that Karen would only see Rachel at first. Karen opened the door.

"What do you want? I already called Santana after last time. Would you like me to call her so you can talk to her this time?" Karen threatened.

"You could always punch her again." Santana said. Karen turned around. "Calling me won't be necessary, by the way." Santana said.

"Santana, I didn't hit Rachel." Karen said.

"Really? Then how did she get that huge bruise on her face? Why is there dried blood near her mouth?" Santana asked. Karen looked at Rachel.

"May I please use your bathroom to clean this blood off?" Rachel asked. In all the commotion of the past hour, Rachel had completely forgotten about the blood. Sighing, Karen nodded and the two girls entered the room. Rachel went into the bathroom and inspected her injuries. She could hear Santana yelling from the main room.

"How dare you hit her? All she was doing was trying to be there for me and you punched her! Rachel loves me, Mom. And I love her. I'm _finally _happy. I haven't been happy since you left. Why can't you be happy that I've finally found someone who can make me feel whole again? You're my mom. You're supposed to support me no matter what, not beat up my girlfriend! You're lucky I don't call the cops!" Santana yelled.

"Maybe I wouldn't have such a big problem with it if you had fallen in love with someone who was actually worthy of being with my daughter. She isn't even pretty." her mother said. Rachel heard Santana gasp.

"Okay, first of all, this conversation is over. Second of all, the only thing keeping me from beating the crap out of you is the fact that Rachel is in the bathroom and she'd get upset. Rachel is the most beautiful girl I know and she is way too good for me. I'm lucky she chose me to be with. She is an amazing person and she's changed me into a better person." Santana said.

"Santana, can we please talk about this another time? Craig will be back any moment with the kids. He took them to get registered for school." Karen said.

"No, we can't talk about this another time. We're never talking again." Santana said. She walked over and knocked on the bathroom door. "Rachel, its time to go." she said. The shorter girl opened the door and walked out. Santana stood between Rachel and the area Karen was in and guided Rachel out of the room. As Santana walked down the hall, she noticed Rachel was standing still. Worried, she walked back to her girlfriend. "I'm assuming you heard." Rachel nodded. "Sweetie, don't take that to heart. Its not true."

"I'm _not_ pretty, though. I'm not beautiful. You, you're the exact definition of beautiful, where as I'm the exact opposite. Especially with my nose…" Rachel said. Santana looked at her sadly.

"You're upset about your nose again? Baby its beautiful." Santana said. "Please tell me you aren't thinking about a nose job again."

"I've been contemplating it again." Rachel said.

"Rachel you don't need one. You're nose is one of the best things about you." Santana replied.

"No its not. I want a nose like the models." Rachel said.

"Baby, you're perfect." Santana said. Rachel shook her head.

"No. I'm average. Let's just go." Rachel said. Santana drove them back to her house and Rachel immediately got in her car and went home. As soon as she was gone, Santana sent out a mass text.

**To: Puck, Q, Britts, Mike, Matt, Mercedes, Kurt, Tina, and Artie**

**Have a song I want to sing to Rachel. Need you guys' help. –S**

She only had to wait a few minutes for her responses. They all flowed in at once.

**What did you have in mind? –Mercedes**

**Want me to back you up with my guitar? –Puck**

**Sounds romantic! I'm in. –Q**

**Can I dance? –Mike**

**Want me to dance? –Matt**

**Count me in. –Tina**

**I'm in. I'll get the band to help too. –Artie**

**I'm in. I can do costumes… I'm thinking feathers. Lots of feathers… –Kurt**

**Can we have duckies in the performance? –Britts**

Santana quickly responded to everyone except Kurt before tackling Brittany's text. She had to wonder if the girl was being serious. She decided she was.

**To: Britts**

**I don't think she'd like that but thanks, B. I need you to sing backup, k? –S**

She then called Kurt.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Kurt, about my song for Rachel, I need you to teach me how to waltz… can you do that?" Santana asked.

"Do I own every Aerosmith and Rolling Stones CD?" Kurt said.

"I… I have no idea…" Santana said. She hoped that wasn't a no.

"Yes, I will teach you how to waltz, Santana. Would you like me to come over now?" he asked.

"Sure. That'd be good. I'll call everyone and tell them to come over" Santana said. She hung up and sent out another text.

**To: Puck, Q, Britts, Mike, Matt, Mercedes, Kurt, Tina, and Artie**

**Can you guys come over to my house to practice now?**

She quickly got responses. They all said yes. Fifteen minutes later, they were all at her house. Twenty minutes later, they had a song and were working on choreography. An hour later, Santana Lopez could honestly say she knew how to waltz. She knew her girl was going to love this.


	17. Chapter 17

Rachel was walking down the hallway the next day when Will stopped her. "Hi, Mr. Schue." Rachel said.

"Hey Rachel. I need to talk to you in the choir room real quick. Do you have a moment?" he asked. She nodded and followed her teacher into the choir room. She paused in the doorway when she saw Santana and the rest of the club in semi-matching outfits. Santana took advantage of Rachel's pause and walked over to her.

"Hi." Santana whispered. Rachel tried to speak, but couldn't form words, as she was so confused. Santana took her hand and led her to the front row and sat her in a chair. She went to the front of the room. "Rach, this song is from all of us, but it's mostly from me."

The group started vocalizing as Santana got in her position.

_Oh, her eyes, her eyes, make the stars look like they're not shining_  
><em>Her hair, her hair, falls perfectly without her trying<em>  
><em>She's so beautiful, and I tell her every day<em>

Santana walked over and crouched behind Rachel so that the girl was smiling down at her.

_Yeah, I know, I know, when I compliment her she won't believe me_  
><em>And it's so, it's so, sad to think that she don't see what I see<em>  
><em>But every time she asks me do I look ok, I say<em>

Santana went back up to the front of the room to do the choreography.

_When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change_  
><em>Cause you're amazing, just the way you are<em>  
><em>And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while<em>  
><em>Because girl you're amazing, just the way you are (yeah)<em>

Santana pulled Rachel to the front of the room so she was hugging the girl into her body.

_Her lips, her lips, I could kiss them all day if she let me_  
><em>Her laugh, her laugh, she hates but I think it's so sexy<em>  
><em>She's so beautiful, and I tell her every day<em>

Santana twirled Rachel out of her embrace so she was looking into the girl's eyes.

_Oh, you know, you know, you know, I'd never ask you to change_  
><em>If perfect's what you're searching for then just stay the same<em>  
><em>So, don't even bother asking if you look ok<em>  
><em>You know I'll say<em>

The group did the choreography again.

_When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change_  
><em>Cause you're amazing, just the way you are<em>  
><em>And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while<em>  
><em>Because girl you're amazing, just the way you are<em>

Santana grabbed Rachel and began waltzing with the girl

_The way you are, the way you are_  
><em>Girl you're amazing, just the way you are<em>

Santana twirled the girl out and wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist. Rachel put her arms around Santana's neck and the girl's slow danced.

_When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change  
>Cause you're amazing, just the way you are<br>And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while  
><em>_Cause girl, you're amazing, just the way you are. Yeah_

Rachel smiled widely as Santana sang the last note and rested her forehead on the smaller girl's. "Baby, you don't need a nose job. I love you just how you are, which is perfect." Santana whispered.

"You did all of this for me?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded. "Thank you." she said. She looked around the room. "Where's Finn?" she asked. Santana fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"I made sure he wouldn't ruin the moment, so he's… out sick today." Puck said.

"Noah!" Rachel yelled. Puck laughed.

"No… he really is sick. He has the flu." Puck said. Rachel laughed. Santana needed to interrupt.

"Okay, enough about him. This is about Rachel and I, not Hudson." Santana said. Rachel smiled and kissed her girlfriend.

"I love you, Santana." Rachel said.

"I love you too, Rachel." Santana said.

*****sorry its short. I wanted to get this up! I've been writing it in my head!*****


	18. Chapter 18

Rachel and Santana exited the choir room together hand in hand. Rachel was still walking on air from Santana's performance. "So, Tiny, I'm assuming you liked my song and dance routine?" Santana teased. Rachel looked at her and smiled widely.

"I loved it." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"So you aren't going to get a nose job?" Santana asked. Rachel looked down.

"My appointment is scheduled for today." she said quietly.

"Wait, you already made an appointment? When were you planning on telling me this little piece of information,?" Santana yelled. Rachel began to answer, but a new presence interrupted them.

"Rachel?" a boy asked. Santana glared at him.

"We're kind of in the middle of something." Santana said. The guy ignored her and continued talking to Rachel.

"Jesse?" Rachel said.

"Wait, you know him?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded.

"We went on a couple of dates freshman year. Well, freshman year for me, junior year for him. He's a senior this year.. What are you doing here? You're the lead singer of Vocal Adrenaline." Rachel said. Santana raised an eyebrow.

"I was the lead of Vocal Adrenaline. I just transferred here. I heard you sing at Sectionals. You were amazing." he said.

"Of course she was amazing. She always sounds amazing. Get to your point." Santana said, getting angry that he was _still_ talking to Rachel.

"So, I couldn't help but over hear that you were thinking about getting a nose job." he said. Santana raised her eyebrow and Rachel tentatively nodded. "That's a great idea. It could really improve your singing voice and make you sound even more impeccable. I totally recommend it. All the female singers in Vocal Adrenaline get nose jobs." Jesse continued.

"Okay, hold up. You are so out of line." Santana said.

"I'm sorry, are you her bodyguard?" Jesse asked.

"I'm her girlfriend, actually." Santana threw back. Jesse smirked and took a step closer to Rachel. "Back up." Santana said, stepping in between them. Rachel touched her arm.

"Sanny, calm down, baby." Rachel said.

"Yea _Sanny_, calm down." Jesse said.

"Jesse, please don't antagonize her." Rachel said.

"Sorry, I just wanted to ask about Glee Club." Jesse said.

"Then go talk to Will Schuester. He's in the choir room, right down the hall." Santana said. Jesse nodded and walked away.

"I don't like him." Santana said.

"San, you don't even know him." Rachel said.

"_You_ barely know him. You went on two dates with the guy. I wouldn't even consider that casually dating him. I wouldn't trust him, Tiny." Santana said.

"But his advice totally made sense. It could improve my voice." Rachel said.

"So you're going to get the surgery?" Santana exclaimed. Rachel nodded. "Fine. I don't agree with it, but I'll support you and I'll even go with you. But think about the consequences, Rachel. What if something goes wrong?"

"It won't. I'll be fine. We have to go now, my appointment is in thirty minutes." Rachel said. Santana shook her head and went to the car. When they got to the office, Santana stopped Rachel before going inside.

"I know this is your life and your decision, but I just want you to know that everyone loves you just the way you are. You don't have to change for anyone, especially not me. I don't think you should the things my mom and Jesse St. Idiot said make your decision. I love your nose. I love you for being you and looking like you. Just remember what the people who care about you and know you and matter to you think." Santana said. Rachel nodded and kissed Santana. The taller girl sat in the waiting room as Rachel went into the office.

"So Rachel, this is your last chance to back out." the doctor said.

"Do it." He nodded and sent to get something. She began to get nervous as she saw all the tools he would need for the surgery. Just as he was about to put her under and began operating on her nose, she stopped him. "Wait. I can't do this. I'm sorry I wasted your time, but I don't have to change to have people love me." She leaped off the table and ran out of the room. Santana looked up from her magazine in confusion. She stood up in just enough time to catch Rachel into a hug.

"What's wrong, baby? Are you okay?" Santana asked.

"Sanny, I couldn't go through with it. You were right. I don't have to change. Being who I am, it got me you. Why should I change something that got me the best thing in my life?" Rachel said. Santana smiled and held her closer.

"I love you, Rachel. But are you sure about this? You weren't having this attitude ten minutes ago. This is your decision, not mine." Santana said. Rachel nodded.

"I know. And I love you for that. But I can't do this. Its not the kind of person I am. I'm the kind of girl who is confident about who she is on the inside and out. I don't need plastic surgery to feel good about myself." Rachel said. Santana smiled and kissed her again.


	19. Chapter 19

Santana's eyes angrily searched the hallway until they found their target. Scowling, she made her way over to her prey, slamming the locker in front of his face to get his attention. She slightly smirked when he jumped, but quickly wiped it off of her face and put her look of intimidation back on. "Yo. St. Jerk. You and I need to have a little conversation." she said. He looked at her.

"What do you want?" Jesse asked.

"Who do you think you are, telling my girlfriend to get a nose job?" Santana asked. Jesse sighed.

"I was merely giving Rachel proper advice, something she is clearly not used to." Jesse said, looking up and down Santana.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" she asked. He scoffed.

"Well, whoever gave her the advice to date _you-_" Santana didn't let him finish before she punched him in the nose. He screamed in pain.

"Learn when to shut your mouth, St. James." Santana said. Rachel came up behind them and saw a bleeding Jesse and a furious Santana.

"What's going on?" she carefully asked. Jesse looked at her.

"Your girlfriend just punched me in the nose!" he yelled. Rachel nodded. Santana held her breath, contemplating what Rachel's reaction would be.

"I can see that. What did you do to make her angry?" Rachel asked. Santana beamed at Rachel before glaring at the suffering boy.

"Tiny, he said that whoever gave you the advice to date me was stupid. Or he would have. I punched him before he got the rest of that sentence out." Santana said. She smiled sheepishly at her girlfriend and shrugged as if to apologize. Rachel shook her head in amusement.

"I don't normally condone violence. That, my dear Santana, is a fact in which _you_ are very aware of. However, considering the provocations, I think that I'm willing to make an exception. Jesse, if you _ever_ say something like that to my girlfriend again, you won't have to worry about Santana hurting you, because I'll make sure you are never able to have kids. Clear?" Rachel threatened. Santana raised an eyebrow and watched as Jesse nodded his head and went to the nurse.

"Good God, Tiny. I've been rubbing off on you." Santana said.

"That threat did sound very Santana like, didn't it?" Rachel asked. Santana shook her head in amusement, smiled, and laughed. She wrapped her arms around her girlfriend's waist and pulled her close. "I love you, Sanny." Rachel said.

"I love you, too Rach. Sorry I had to punch him. He made me so mad." Santana said. Rachel nodded, completely understanding.

"I get it, S. He's a jerk. That's why I stopped seeing him. All he ever talked about was Jesse. That's all he cares about." Rachel said.

"You deserve better than that, Tiny." Santana said. Rachel smiled up at her.

"That's what I have." Rachel said. Santana looked down and smiled.

"You're amazing, Rachel." Santana said. Rachel smiled. "No, seriously. You are seriously the most amazing girl- scratch that, the most amazing _person_- that I have ever met. And you're all mine." Santana continued, smiling. Rachel started to respond, but the pair turned into the choir room and almost immediately, Mr. Schue began talking.

"Okay, guys. The school board wants to see a couple of numbers to make sure the club is worth the funding, as little as it may be, that it gets. So we need to decide what songs to sing." he said. Rachel raised a hand.

"When will we be performing these numbers?" she asked.

"At the next PTA meeting, which is next Wednesday." the teacher said. Rachel nodded.

"We should sing _Don't Stop Believin' _and_ Somebody To Love._" Mercedes offered. The other members nodded their heads in agreement. Will nodded and they began rehearsing the songs. After rehearsal, Santana waited while Rachel got some extra practice in. As she listened to her girlfriend sing, she thought back to when Santana had still been a Cheerio and they had still been a secret.

_FLASHBACK_

"_Competition." Mr. Schue hung pictures of different items that competed against each other in their own way. _

"_I don't understand how lightning is in competition with an above ground swimming pool." Kurt said. Even Santana, who was concentrating on not staring at Rachel, laughed._

"_Just go with it. Anyways, you guys split up, guys and girls. You're going to create mash-ups and compete against each other." Santana looked excitedly at Brittany and even shared a look with Rachel as Mr. Schue explained to Puck what a mash-up was. She held back a smile as Rachel "accidentally" bumped into her._

"_Sorry, Santana." Rachel said. Santana swallowed hard and forced herself to roll her eyes._

"_Watch it, dwarf." Santana said. Quinn looked over with a raised eyebrow. Santana knew she wouldn't say anything to anyone, but she was still in shock about the fact that Rachel was okay with Santana talking to her like that. 'It's not like I enjoy it. It wasn't even my idea.' Santana thought._

"_I'm truly sorry, Santana. I'll be more careful." Rachel said. She raised an eyebrow and Santana suddenly felt a piece of paper in her hand. She closed her fist around it and smirked at Rachel before turning away. Quinn nodded in her direction._

"_What the hell is up with the bow on Berry's shirt?" Quinn asked. Santana looked over and shrugged. "Tell me you don't find that adorable." Quinn pleadingly whispered. The other girl quickly shook her head._

"_There is no way in hell I would ever find that adorable. However, I do find it adorable that she thinks it's adorable." Santana said, lovingly gazing off into space. Quinn raised an eyebrow as a goofy smile spread across Santana's face. She slapped the girl gently in the face. "Thanks, Q." Santana said. Quinn nodded and Santana subtly opened the note. She started to smile as she read it, but quickly stopped the action._

_Sanny- You look absolutely amazing right now. I don't think you know how hard it is to have to refrain from kissing you. I just wanted you to know that. By the way, my dads won't be home until late tonight and I don't like being in the house by myself at night. Can you come over? :) I love you! –R_

_Santana smiled to herself and looked up when she heard Rachel's voice. "Girls, we need to meet in the dance studio tomorrow afternoon." she heard her girlfriend say. Mercedes spoke up._

"_What's wrong with right now?" Mercedes asked. Rachel's eyes widened._

"_I can't. I have to get home. My dads need my help with some stuff. We're having family come into town and they need me to help clean the house." Rachel said. Everyone shrugged and nodded. Mr. Schue dismissed the Glee Club. "Santana?" Rachel said. The taller girl turned around. Most of the club had already left._

"_What do you want, Berry?" Santana asked. She felt butterflies in her stomach. She and Rachel had never really talked in school. They tried to avoid it just in case someone was able to tell what was going on._

"_I was wondering if you would be willing to give me a ride home, seeing as you live close to me. Would that be acceptable?" Rachel asked. Santana held up a hand._

"_Berry, will you please stop talking. You're kind of… no you actually are making my ears bleed. Tell you what. I'll give you a ride if you don't speak, okay?" Santana said. Rachel nodded. "Okay. Wait a second. I'm almost ready." Santana walked over to her bag, where Quinn was waiting for her. _

"_So can I assume that you're the reason our star doesn't want to rehearse today?" Quinn said. Santana grinned._

"_You know it." Santana said as she grabbed her bag. Turning around and noticing that no one else was in the room, Santana took advantage of her golden opportunity. "Are you ready to go babe?" Santana asked. Rachel grinned at her and nodded. The two waved goodbye to Quinn before walking towards the door. Santana quickly stopped their motions, however. Catching Rachel in mid-turn, she quickly kissed her. "Just because I love you, and because I can right now and also because we're about to walk out of our tiny safe haven and back into the real McKinley. The one that involves other people. We'll be at my car soon though." Santana said. Rachel smiled softly and nodded, kissing Santana again before the two turned around and left the choir room. Quinn shook her head in amusement. 'Santana is totally in love with her.' The two girls made their way to Santana's car. "I love you, Rach." Santana said. Rachel smiled. "And I know what you're going to be thinking about all night, so when we get to your house, let's order food and then we can start thinking about ideas for the mash-up. I know you all to well, my love." Santana said, tapping Rachel's nose before starting the car. Her girlfriend smiled as the car pulled out of the parking lot. The two spent the entire night planning ideas for the mash-up in between making out. The next day Tina, Mercedes, Brittany, and Santana were in the dance studio. Rachel was on her way and Quinn was nowhere to be found. Rachel walked in to find Mercedes and Tina doing their nails, Santana plucking her eyebrows, and Brittany stretching. Rachel sighed. At least Brittany at least looked like she wanted to participate. _

"_Okay girls we need to get started." Rachel said. Santana scoffed._

"_We're getting warmed up." she said. Rachel stared at her, trying not to let the pain show. _

"_Where's Quinn?" she asked. _

"_Probably down at the mall looking for elastic waist pants." Brittany said. Everyone but Rachel laughed._

"_Relax, we're going to do Halo and Walking On Sunshine." Mercedes said._

"_That was my idea. Guys, we can't just wing it." Rachel said. She huffed and stormed out. Santana stared in the direction her girlfriend had gone. She sighed._

"_I'll go make sure Berry doesn't throw herself off the roof out of frustration." she said in a monotone. The most she got in recognition was a raised hand from Mercedes. She left the room and went in search of Rachel she found her in the hallway. "You okay?" she asked. Rachel looked up at her. _

"_If you guys don't want my help, just say so." Rachel said. Santana sighed. _

"_We want your help. They're just being complacent right now. They'll come around."_

"_When is Quinn getting here?" Rachel asked. Santana looked down. "San?"_

"_I don't think she is." Santana said. Rachel looked up. "Come on. We should get to work, huh?" Santana suggested. Rachel nodded and accepted Santana's outstretched hand. They went back in and Rachel attempted to get the other girls to rehearse, to no avail. She sighed and let it go. Three days later, the girls were watching the guys perform in shock. The girls looked at each other with matching expressions. Santana looked over and saw Rachel with her jaw dropped. Subtly, Santana reached over to grab her hand and quickly squeezed it reassuringly. Rachel looked over at the taller girl and Santana winked. 'It's okay.' she mouthed. After the guys finished performed, Rachel gave a half-hearted clap before glaring at the girls and storming out. Santana wanted to run after her, but she had to wait until later. The best she could do was send Rachel a text message to let her know that she cared. She pulled out her phone._

_**Baby, I just wanted to let you know that I love you and I'm sorry that things are going as planned. – Sanny**_

_Santana only had to wait a few minutes before receiving a response._

_**New Message**_

_**Tiny**_

_**I love you too, Sanny. It's not like it's your fault. – Rachel**_

_Santana quickly typed out a response._

_**If you want to, tomorrow you can blame it on me. – Sanny**_

_**I could never do that Sanny. Baby, IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT. – Rachel**_

_**Tiny, I don't care. Blame it on me. – Sanny**_

_**And if I don't? – Rachel**_

_**Rachel Barbara Berry if you don't blame it on me… – Sanny**_

_**Are you sure, Sanny? – Rachel**_

_**Why the hell would I offer if I weren't sure, Tiny? – Sanny**_

_**Yea, okay. I'll blame you. But just know that I love you. – Rachel**_

_**I know you do. I love you too. – Sanny**_

_The next day, Rachel convinced Quinn to come back to Glee and called an emergency meeting. "I agreed to do all the work. All you guys had to do was show up!" Rachel said._

_"We know. You've been berating us for the better part of an hour." Santana said. Rachel rolled her eyes._

_"Shut up, Santana. You're one of the most influential girls in the group. If you had started working, the others would have followed. You're mostly to blame." Rachel said._

_"Okay, let's not fight. Let's just get to work." Quinn said. Santana glared at Rachel, a smile flirting with the corners of her mouth._

_END FLASHBACK_

"Santana? Santana!" Rachel said. Santana woke up from her daydream.

"Yea babe?" she asked. She noticed Rachel packed up. "Are you ready to go?" Rachel smiled.

"I've been ready to go for almost fifteen minutes." Rachel said. Santana laughed.

"Sorry, Tiny."


	20. Chapter 20

_FLASHBACK_

_Santana, Rachel, and the rest of the New Directions girls were standing in front of Mr. Schue, Ms. Pillsbury, and the New Directions boys. They were about to perform their mash-up of Halo and Walking On Sunshine. Kurt had informed the girls that the boys had taken Vitamin D before their performance, so the girls had done the same._

"_Thank you so much. It really is a pleasure. While the boys chose a selection of songs that cast an eye inward on the irresponsible life choices and sexual hunger of today's modern teens, we have chosen a selection of songs that speaks to the nation as a whole during theses troubling times filled with economic uncertainty and unbridled social woe. Because if there's two tings America needs right now, that is sunshine and optimism." Rachel said. While she was speaking, the girls in the background looked around, all smiles. _

"_Also angels." Rachel continued. Their music started and they began their song. After they performed and had calmed down a bit, Santana called Rachel. Rachel was sitting in her room, lying on her bed and mentally chastising herself when her phone rang._

**_Incoming Call_**

_**Sanny**_

_Rachel instantly picked up. "Hey San." she sighed into the phone._

"_How are you feeling?" Santana asked. Rachel scoffed._

"_Awful. I'm disgusted with myself." Rachel said._

"_Aw… Rach, don't be to hard on yourself." Santana said. Rachel gasped._

"_Don't be to hard on myself? Sanny, I cheated!" Rachel exclaimed. Santana raised an eyebrow, even though Rachel couldn't see._

"…_We're still talking about the competition, right?" Santana asked _

"_What? Yes, of course we are. What else would we be tal… Santana!" Rachel yelled. The taller girl laughed. "Well, I'm glad you think this is funny, Santana." Santana stopped laughing._

"_Chill, Tiny. I'm just trying to lighten the mood. You usually laugh at my jokes." Santana said, slightly hurt. Rachel sighed._

"_I'm sorry… I just… I feel terrible about this." Rachel said._

"_This is really bothering you, isn't it?" Santana asked._

"_Yea, it is." Rachel said. Santana was silent for a moment. "Sanny?" Rachel said._

"_Que pasa?" Santana said. Even though Rachel took French, she was able to understand a little Spanish as well, though she had a difficult time speaking it. Throughout the course of their relationship, Rachel had learned basic Spanish from Santana. As long as Santana kept it simple, she could speak in Spanish and Rachel would reply in English. _

"_Nothing, you just didn't say anything."_

"_Lo siento mi princesa." Santana said._

"_It's okay. I just feel awful. What are we going to do about this, S?" Rachel asked._

_"Yo no sé mi amor. Yo no sé." Santana said. She knew she was going to have to go back to English soon, because there was only so much Spanish that Rachel understood._

"_I just feel so bad about it." Rachel repeated. Santana sighed._

_"Ay dios mio! Lo sé, de acuerdo? Dios. Escucha, te amo, pero usted se está repitiendo ahora.. Basta ya!" Santana said. Rachel was thoroughly confused. She had understood about half of that._

"_Uh… what did you say?" Rachel asked. Santana sighed again._

"_I said, 'Oh my god. I know, okay? God. Listen, I love you, but you are being repetitive right now. Stop it already.' Pretty much a direct translation, right there." Santana said. Rachel gasped and hung up the phone without so much as a goodbye. Santana pulled her phone away from her ear and looked at it._

**_Call Ended_**

_**Tiny**_

"_Did she just hang up on me?" Santana said out loud. "Not okay." She tried to call Rachel back, but the smaller girl rejected the call. Santana decided to try her hand at texting Rachel._

_**Is there a reason you hung up on me? – Sanny**_

_Rachel rolled her eyes when she read Santana's text message. She quickly replied._

_**I can't believe you. Seriously? – Rach**_

_**Yea, seriously. – Sanny**_

_**You were rude to me, Santana! – Rach**_

_**You were annoying me! You were being repetitive and I couldn't take anymore of it! – Sanny**_

_**Goodbye, Santana. – Rach**_

_**No. You don't get to end this conversation. – Sanny**_

_**Excuse me? – Rach**_

_**We're done talking when I say we're done talking. – Sanny**_

_**How about we're just done? – Rach**_

_Santana looked at the message in shock. Somewhere, she had lost control of that conversation. She rolled her eyes in anger and replied._

**_Fine. – S_**

_Rachel definitely noticed the single letter in Santana's signature. She sighed and turned off her phone. Glee Club would definitely be awkward the next day._

_END FLASHBACK_

The two girls were walking out to Santana's car. "Hey Rachel?" Santana said. Rachel looked over at her.

"What's up?"

"Remember when we were doing the mash-up competition and we took the Vitamin D and you felt really guilty about if afterwards?" Santana asked. Rachel slowly nodded.

"Yes…" Rachel said.

"Remember how I called you that night and we got into that fight and you broke up with me?" Santana continued.

"Yes… what about it?" Rachel asked.

"I'm sorry I was rude to you in Spanish." Santana said.

"Uh… its okay… but that was a long time ago. You apologized months ago. What brought that up?" Rachel asked.

"I was just thinking about it." Santana said.

*****the next few chapters will primarily be flashbacks. I was watching old episodes and I got ideas that I wish I had had back when I was writing the earlier chapters when they were still secretly dating. There will be present-time interjections.*****


	21. Chapter 21

_FLASHBACK_

_Santana paused outside the choir room door. She could hear Rachel's voice. The smaller girl was arguing with Mr. Schuester over something. She felt an immense amount of pain as she remembered what had happened the night before. She couldn't believe Rachel had broken up with her. She really didn't want to go into the choir room, but she knew she'd get in a lot of trouble if she didn't. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Brittany standing behind her. She forced a smile for her best friend. "Hey Britt, what's up?" Santana asked._

"_Why aren't you going in, S?" Brittany asked. Santana shrugged. _

"_Got lost in my thoughts, I guess. Let's go in." Santana said. She led the way into the room._

"_Mr. Schue I just don't-"Rachel immediately stopped talking when Santana entered the room. The two made brief eye contact before Rachel looked down. Santana gave her no recognition or acknowledgement like she usually did, she just continued walking to where Quinn was sitting. Mr. Schue attempted to get Rachel's attention. "Never mind." she said quietly. She turned around and sat as far away from Santana as possible. Quinn nudged Santana. The girl turned towards her other best friend._

"_What?" Santana whispered as Mr. Schue began talking._

"_What's going on with you and Rachel?" Quinn whispered._

"_She broke up with me." Santana whispered, shrugging. Quinn raised an eyebrow._

_"What? Why?" she whispered._

"_We got into a fight. She was feeling about taking the Vitamin D. She spent like fifteen minutes complaining and being repetitive, so I called her out on it. She got offended and broke up with me via text message." Santana whispered._

"_Wow… that's harsh. Sorry, S." Quinn whispered._

"_It's whatever, I guess. It was only a matter of time before it ended. I mean, do you really think that Santana Lopez and Rachel Berry are meant to be together?" Santana whispered. Quinn looked at Santana, knowing that the other girl was finished with the conversation. She looked over at Rachel and saw that she was fighting the urge to look at Santana. Rachel didn't know how to function in Glee without being able to sneak a look at Santana. Mr. Schue was going on about things that no one really cared about, when he asked if anyone wanted to sing. Everyone looked expectantly at Rachel, who made no movement._

"_Rachel, do you want to sing?" Mr. Schue asked. Rachel shook her head._

"_I don't really feel like a solo, Mr. Schue." Rachel said. Santana snorted._

"_Oh come on Hobbit. You always want a solo. Don't give us that crap, because we don't buy it. What kind of game are you playing? Are you trying to make it so that more people will pretend to like you and come visit you in the Shire?" Santana sneered. Quinn looked at her in shock. Santana had never been that mean to Rachel. Rachel stared at Santana with her mouth open._

_"Santana! Apologize to Rachel." Mr. Schue said. Santana ignored her teacher and just stared at Rachel. The diva looked away, grabbed her bag, and stood up._

"_Excuse me." she whispered before running out of the room. Santana looked down and Quinn kicked her foot in reprimanding._

"_Santana, I know you don't like her, but I'm going to have to insist that you follow after Rachel to apologize and make sure she's okay." Mr. Schue said. Santana started to protest, but stopped._

"_Fine." she said and stood up. She walked out of the room and looked for the smaller brunette. She found her in the dance studio. "I'm supposed to make sure you're all right and apologize." Santana said. Rachel looked up._

"_Don't bother. I know you won't mean it." Rachel said._

"_Not right not I won't. Maybe in a couple of days, but not right now." Santana said. The smaller girl looked away. "Rachel, you broke up with me in a text message. I have the right to be pissed." Santana said._

"_So do I." Rachel said._

"_I think you're taking things out of context. You're making things into what they weren't, and you're overreacting to what I said." Santana said._

"_Well, Santana, I'm sorry, but I don't agree with you. Let's just return to Glee as if nothing is wrong." Rachel said. Santana sighed as she followed Rachel to the choir room. They walked in and saw Coach Sylvester in the choir room._

"_What's going on?" Santana asked, walking past Rachel._

"_Coach is the new co-director of Glee. Figgins found out about your little Vitamin D experiment." Mr. Schue said. Soon, Glee was dismissed. Quinn caught up to Santana._

"_I know you want her back." Quinn said._

"_Q, it's over. I need to move on." Santana said._

"_Please. I don't buy that for a second." Quinn said._

"_And why's that?" Santana asked._

"_If you really hated her you wouldn't have given in so easily to going after her, Santana." Quinn said. Santana realized that this was true._

"_Even if I were to try, she wouldn't go for it. She probably won't even answer if I were to call her." Santana said. Quinn grinned._

"_You have a plan?" Quinn asked._

"_I have an idea. It needs to be formulated into a plan. You're dad owns that really fancy Italian restaurant, right?" Santana asked. Quinn nodded. "Do you think you can score me the back room for tonight?" Quinn grinned and made a phone call. Santana smiled as Quinn gave her a thumbs-up. "Now all I need is a dozen roses, an insanely hot dress, and Rachel. The last part is where you come in, Quinn. You're responsible for getting Rachel there. Make sure she's there at 6:30." Santana said. Quinn nodded._

"_Hey, I also convinced the manager to put rose petals on the table and around the chairs, so that will make it even more romantic." Quinn said. Santana grinned._

"_Thanks Q." Santana said. The two girls went to the mall to get Santana a new dress. After they had found her the perfect dress, shoes, and jewelry, they left the mall. As they made their way to Santana's car, they passed another jewelry store. Santana stopped Quinn as something caught her eye. "Hold up, Q. I want to look at something real quick." Santana said. She walked toward a display case and saw a selection of promise rings. She saw two that caught her eye. She instantly motioned for a salesperson. "Hi, I'd like to buy those two rings." she said. The salesperson nodded and pulled them out of the case. "How long would it take to get them engraved?" Santana asked._

"_About thirty minutes. We have two machines." he said. Santana nodded and filled out the engraving cards for the rings. Quinn just grinned as she watched the scene play out before her._

"_I never thought I'd see the day when Santana Lopez went out and bought someone a promise ring." Quinn said. Santana shrugged._

"_I love her Q." Santana said. They went to the food court and got a small snack while they waited._

"_You have good taste in rings by the way." Quinn commented. Santana grinned. She had chosen a simple thin black band for herself with three stones in the band, two small stones on either side of a slightly larger stone. Each stone was a different color. The smaller stones were bright blue (Rachel's favorite color) and red (Santana's favorite color). The stone in the middle was purple (the result of blue and red together). Santana had chosen a silver band with two stones shaped like hearts for Rachel. One stone was red, the other bright blue. On the outside of the band, the words 'Love' and 'Forever' were engraved. She had chosen to put 'Rachel and Santana Forever' on the inside of the rings. She also put 'Tiny' on the inside of Rachel's band and 'Sanny' on the inside of her band. She really hoped Rachel liked the rings. After they had picked up the rings, Santana drove Quinn home before going to her own house to get ready. Soon, she received a text from Quinn._

_**Convinced Rachel to come out with me. You're all set. –Q**_

_Santana grinned and replied with a thank you. She quickly got ready and drove to the restaurant. She made her way to the back room and sat down, waiting for Quinn to arrive with Rachel. She put the bouquet of roses across Rachel's place setting, but kept the ring in her purse. She held her breath as Quinn opened the door to the back room._

"_Quinn, why are we going into the back room?" Rachel asked. She froze when she saw Santana. "I… I can't." Rachel turned to leave, but Quinn put a hand on her shoulder._

"_Rachel, hear her out." Quinn said. Rachel looked over and saw Santana's pleading eyes._

"_You have my attention." Rachel said. She walked over and sat down, smiling at the flowers. Quinn waved and walked out of the room. When the door was closed, Santana spoke._

"_Rachel, I'm sorry about everything. I'm sorry about what I said in Glee and I'm sorry about our fight." Santana said. Rachel nodded. "But most of all, I'm sorry that I hurt you, Rachel." Rachel looked at Santana._

_"Sanny…" Rachel said, trailing off. Santana looked at Rachel, waiting for a sign of what was going through the diva's mind. 'She called me Sanny… that has to mean something, right?' Santana thought._

_"Tiny, I love you. And I know that you love me as well." Santana said. Rachel nodded._

_"I do love you, Santana. But you hurt me." Rachel said. Santana looked down in shame._

_"I know I did. And I'm really sorry about that. But you know how I feel about you. When have I ever given you any doubt that I love you?" Santana asked._

_"Never." Rachel admitted._

_"Then why can't you forgive me?" Santana asked._

_"I don't know. I want to forgive you. Really, I do." Rachel said. Santana nodded and looked at her purse._

_"What if I gave you this?" Santana asked, pulling out the ring. Rachel gasped._

_"Are you proposing?" Rachel half-yelled._

_"What? No, I'm not proposing to you. It's a promise ring, Tiny." Santana said. Rachel looked at the ring._

_"It's beautiful, Santana." Rachel said._

_"Rachel, I love you. I want you to have this ring." Santana said. Rachel continued to look at the ring in front of her. "It's engraved on the inside. Look." Santana said. Rachel took the ring and looked on the inside._

_"'Rachel and Santana Forever.'" she read. Rachel looked up at Santana._

_"Read the other side." Santana encouraged. Rachel read it._

_"'Tiny.'" She laughed."I love it, S."_

_"Do you forgive me?" Santana asked. Slowly, Rachel nodded._

_"I love you, San. I'm sorry I was being so stupid." Rachel said. Santana stood up and walked to the other side of the table. She took Rachel into her arms._

_"I shouldn't have said what I said." Santana said. Santana took the ring from Rachel's hand and put it on her finger._

_"Are you going to wear one?" Rachel asked, smiling. Santana nodded and grabbed hers._

_"What do you think?" Santana asked. Rachel looked at it._

_"I love it. It's definitely you." Rachel said. Santana chuckled and put the ring on. Rachel reached up and grabbed her neck, kissing her._

_"Hey, you may be a midget, but you're my midget." Santana said lovingly. Rachel allowed Santana to pull her into a hug. The taller girl kissed the top of Rachel's head. Both girls smiled at each other._

_END FLASHBACK_

Rachel smiled down at her ring. She looked up at Santana, knowing just how much she loved the other girl. The two girls were walking down the hallway to Rachel's locker. As they reached her locker, Rachel opened it and Santana leaned up against the adjoining lockers. As Rachel leaned in to get something, Santana kissed her. Rachel smiled into the embrace, but pulled away so she could get books out of her locker. As she closed the locker, she jumped back into Santana, seeing that Jacob Ben-Israel had snuck up behind her locker door to spy on her. "The independent polling company in my Dockers has determined you're the hottest girl in this school." he said. Rachel and Santana shared a look, before Santana glared at Jacob with as much fury as she could send through her eyes..

"Ew." Rachel said. She attempted to walk away, but Jacob stopped her. Rachel looked at Santana. Santana decided to step in. She stepped between her girlfriend and the gossipmonger. When Jacob tried to step around her, Santana simply pushed his head back into the lockers. She smiled evilly.

"Repeat after me Jew Fro. 'I will never bother Rachel Berry again.' Come on. Say it." Santana said. Jacob shook his head. "Now Jacob, do you really want to mess around with me?" she asked. He quickly shook his head again. "That's what I thought. Now say it." Santana said.

"I will never bother Rachel Berry again." Jacob said. Santana smiled.

"Thank you. Now get lost." Santana said. The boy quickly ran away. Rachel smiled up at her girlfriend.

"I owe you big time." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"No you don't. I'm just glad that I can scare as much as I did when he found out about Quinn's baby." Santana said.

_FLASHBACK_

_The next day, Santana and Rachel watched Mr. Schue and Coach Sylvester attempt to run the Glee Club together. Before Glee Club started, the members were talking._

_"Is that a new ring, Rachel?" Mercedes asked. Rachel smiled and nodded. "It's really pretty." Mercedes said as she looked at it in confusion. "Why is it on your left ring finger?" she asked. Rachel's eyes widened and she looked down._

_"Because… that's the only finger it fits on." Rachel said. Mercedes nodded. Santana smirked and played along._

_"Really? My new ring only fits on my left ring finger too. My ring fingers are different sizes for some reason." Santana said. Quinn hid her smile._

_"All right. Following students have been selected for a special elite Glee Club called Sue's Kids." Sue said._

_"Hold on. We agreed not to split up the group." Mr. Schue interjected._

_"Aw. Come on, Will. Give me a chance to do things Sue Sylvester's way. Maybe with my proven leadership abilities, I can help this pathetic group of mouth breathers place at Sectionals." Sue said. Rachel glared at Coach Sylvester's words. Santana saw this and subtly reached over and squeezed her leg to comfort her._

_"Fine. Hey, just go ahead, take all the football players and your Cheerios." Will said. Rachel looked down at Santana. The two exchanged a look._

_"All right everybody, listen up. When you hear your name called, cross over to my side of this black shiny thing." Sue said._

_"That's called a piano, Sue." Will said._

_"Santana! Wheels! Gay Kid!" Sue said. No one moved. "Come on! Move it!" Santana, Artie, and Kurt moved to the front of the room. "Asian!" Tina and Mike looked at each other in confusion. "Other Asian! Aretha! And Shaft!" Sue said. Will looked at her. "See Will, I don't want to participate in a group that ignores the needs or minority students."_

_"You have got to be kidding me!"_

_"I wouldn't kid about this. And maybe that's your problem. Bigotry is no laughing matter." Sue said. Will tried to respond, but was cut off by Santana._

_"And that's how Sue sees it." Santana said, smiling. Rachel looked down at her in confusion. Santana walked back to the risers as Sue, the rest of the Glee Club, and Schue left the choir room. "Saw you talking to Jew Fro earlier." she whispered to Rachel. Rachel got an expression on her face. "What's wrong?" Santana asked._

_"He knows about the baby, Santana." Rachel whispered. The color drained out of Santana's face. "I had to give him a pair of my underwear to get him to shut up."_

_"You didn't." Santana said._

_"Well, kind of. I went out and bought a pair." Rachel said. The moment she said that, Jacob walked in._

_"I need another pair." he said._

_"What's wrong with the ones I already gave you?" Rachel asked._

_"Uh, they still had the tag on them!" Jacob said as he pulled out a pair of underwear. Rachel looked at Santana in horror._

_"Put those away!" Rachel said._

_"I expect delivery by tomorrow morning or the story of Quinn Fabray and the stork goes wide." Jacob said. Rachel looked down. "I feel an urge to kiss you right now. I'm just gonna go for it." He leaned in to kiss Rachel._

_"No, no, no, no. You stop it." Rachel said. Santana intervened._

_"Okay, listen up. You're going to keep quiet about Quinn without getting a pair of Rachel's underwear. Clear?" Santana said. Jacob scoffed and rolled his eyes. Santana raised an eyebrow. "What was that, Jew Fro?" Santana said. Jacob looked at her._

_"Clear." he whispered._

_"That's what I thought you said." Santana said, smiling evilly. Jacob ran out of the room quickly. Santana turned back to Rachel. "You okay?" she asked. Rachel nodded and quickly kissed Santana. "I love you." Santana whispered._

_"I love you too." Rachel replied. Santana looked down at the girl's left hand._

_"Do you really like your ring?" Santana asked._

_"I love it, Sanny. Hey, what does yours say on the inside?" Rachel asked. Santana smiled._

_"The same as yours, except mine says 'Sanny' instead of 'Tiny.'" Santana said. Rachel nodded with a smile. "You know, you're really pretty when you smile." Santana commented._

_"So are you. You should try doing it more often." Rachel said. Santana scoffed._

_"I smile all the time around you. It's what you do to me." Santana said. Rachel grinned._

_"Please, that's just your face cracking from all the scowling it does during the school day." Rachel teased her girlfriend. Santana laughed. "But seriously, you're beautiful when you're smiling. I wish you'd smile during the day, so that I can get to see it."_

_END FLASHBACK_


	22. Chapter 22

The next day, Santana and Rachel walked down the hallway to the choir room together. Rachel had been in a good mood all day and Santana was fully enjoying it. Rachel had been showering Santana with much needed attention. Santana had been upset about Jesse and his attempt to get Rachel to get a nose job. Santana looked over and saw Rachel with a bright smile on her face as they continued down the hall. She grabbed her girlfriend's hand and pulled her into a side hug, widening Rachel's smile. Santana looked down at Rachel with a smile on her face. "I love you, Rachel." Santana said. Rachel looked up.

"I love you too. What brought that on, San?" Rachel asked. Santana shrugged.

"I just wanted you to know that. You seem so happy and I wanted to be a part of the reason for that happiness as well." Santana said.

"Sweetie, you _are_ the reason for my happiness." Rachel said.

"You're too cute and that's extremely sweet, but there has to be another reason for why you're so unbelievable happy right now." Santana said. The smile immediately left Rachel's face and she began crying. Santana started stammering. "Rachel… what's wrong? What did I say? Are you okay?" Santana asked.

"Why can't you accept that you're the only one I'm with? Why do you think I'm lying?" Rachel cried. Santana quickly shook her head.

"Sweetie, I don't think you're lying. I was just playing around. Baby what's wrong?" Santana asked, leading Rachel into the nearest bathroom. Once inside, Santana locked the door. "Rae, what's wrong, baby?" Santana asked. She attempted to pull Rachel into a hug, but Rachel pushed her away. "Rachel…"

"Stay away from me. The longer you don't know, the longer I can still have you." Rachel said, crying.

"Rachel, I'm not going anywhere. I promise you. I don't go around giving promise rings to just anyone, Rae." Santana said.

"Not even Brittany?" Rachel asked. Santana's jaw dropped.

"What? No. I never gave one to Brittany. Only you. I only love _you_, Rachel Berry." Santana said.

"You won't after you find out." Rachel said.

"Find out what, baby?" Santana asked. Rachel shook her head and looked away. She tried to walk away from Santana, but Santana stopped her and pulled her into a hug. "Come on, talk to me Tiny." she said quietly. Rachel pulled away and looked at her.

"You can't call me that anymore." Rachel whispered. Fear flooded Santana.

"What? Why? Are you breaking up with me?" Santana asked. Rachel quickly shook her head.

"No. But you're going to break up with me." Rachel said.

"Okay, you need to tell me what's going on right now, _Tiny_." Santana emphasized the nickname.

"Remember when we were broken up a month ago and I was with Finn?" Rachel began.

"Yea…" Santana said. Rachel took a deep breath.

"Finn and I hooked up on New Year's Eve." Rachel said. Santana nodded. She couldn't understand why Rachel thought she was going to break up with her over that. It's not like Rachel had cheated on her with Finn. She lifted her chin up to be able to look her in the eyes.

"Okay… but what's the big deal? We weren't together at the time, so it's not like you cheated on me with Finn. Unless… are… are you okay? Are you hurt? Did he hurt you? Did he… I mean… did you want… it was mutual right?" Santana stammered. Rachel nodded her head.

"Yea, it was mutual. He didn't pressure me into anything." Rachel said.

"Then what's wrong, Rachel?" Santana asked. Rachel looked down, but Santana lifted her chin up again.

"I'm pregnant, S." Rachel said. Santana's eyes widened. "I'm about a month along, but I just found out a couple of days ago. I'm so sorry. Please don't break up with me, Sanny. I'm really sorry. Please don't leave me. I really need you. I won't blame you if you want to leave me, but please don't." Rachel pleaded. Santana pulled her into a hug.

"I'm not going anywhere, Tiny. This ring means something to me. It means that I am here for you, no exceptions. You're going to get through this and I'm going to help you. I love you, and I'm not going to leave you. If you want me here with you, I'll be here." Santana said. Rachel nodded.

"And if I want you gone?" Rachel asked. Santana raised an eyebrow.

"Then I'll still be here and you'll just have to get over it." Santana said. Rachel smiled softly.

"I don't want you gone. I just wanted to know what you would do." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"Do you want to keep it or are you going to…" Santana trailed off.

"I'm not getting an abortion. But if I keep it, my dreams of Broadway go down the drain." Rachel said.

"If anyone can have a baby and still be on Broadway, it's you, Tiny." Santana said. Rachel shook her head. "Yes you can, baby. I believe in you. I believe in us. You're strong enough to get through this, especially with me at your side." Santana assured her.

"How am I going to tell Finn?" Rachel asked. Santana shrugged.

"Who knows? He probably won't even believe you, after the whole Puck knocking up Quinn and then Quinn telling Finn it was his thing." Santana said. Rachel sighed. "But, you're going to have to tell him eventually, Rachel. I think you should tell him sooner rather than later." Santana said.

"I'll tell him. But can you please be there when I do? I don't think I can do it without you there with me, right by my side. I need you there, Sanny." Rachel said.

"I'll be wherever you want me to be. I'm here for you, baby. No matter what." Santana said.

"Thank you so much, S. I love you, Santana Lopez." Rachel said. Santana kissed Rachel softly.

"And I love you, Rachel Berry. Forever." Santana replied. Rachel nodded.

"Can you please take me home? I'm not feeling so well right now." Rachel requested. Santana immediately nodded.

"Let's just stop by the choir room and tell Mr. Schue and the club that we won't be at rehearsals, okay?" Santana said. Rachel nodded. "Okay, come on Tiny." Santana said softly. She put an arm around Rachel's waist and led her out of the bathroom. The two walked to the choir room together. When they reached the room, Santana removed her arm from its place. "Just stay out here for a minute, okay? I'll let them know we won't be there today." Santana said. Rachel nodded. Just as Santana was about to turn around, Mr. Schue came out of the room.

"I thought I heard your voice, Santana. Come on in guys. You're already fifteen minutes late. Let's not delay rehearsal any longer." Mr. Schue said. He started to go back into the room when Santana spoke up.

"Actually, Mr. Schue, we came by to tell you we have to miss practice today. Rachel isn't feeling well. Is it okay if I take her home and let her rest?" Santana asked. Mr. Schue nodded in agreement.

"Yea, okay. That sounds like a good idea. Get well soon, Rachel." Mr. Schue said. Rachel nodded her thanks and the two girls walked to the parking lot. Santana looked at Rachel when they were in Santana's car. The girl was looking at her stomach.

"Are you okay?" Santana asked. Rachel shrugged. "You'll get through this. I believe in you, sweetie." Santana said. She reached over and grabbed Rachel's hand.

"Thank you." Rachel whispered. Santana smiled softly. "But it's going to be a long eight months, S. I'm going to have mood swings. Just please, don't get frustrated with me. Be patient with me, and love me no matter how I look." Rachel pleaded. Santana nodded.

"Of course, baby. You're about the only person I can be patient with. And as for the looks, I'll just keep a picture of you in my wallet for when you get fat." Santana joked. Rachel laughed softly. "I love you, Tiny." Santana said fondly. Rachel kissed Santana's hand.

"I love you too Sanny." Rachel looked back down at her stomach again. "What am I going to do about this one?" Rachel asked.

"You have eight months to figure it out." Santana said. Rachel shook her head.

"_We_ have eight months to figure it out. I want you to be a part of my decision. You're a part of my life, so you're going to be a part of my decision." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"Are you sure, Tiny?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded.

"If I keep this baby, then I hope you'll raise it with me. If I don't keep it, then I hope you'll help me stay strong." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"I'll do whatever you want me to, Tiny. You and me? We're in this for the long haul. We'll stay together through whatever." Santana said. Rachel smiled and kissed Santana.


	23. Chapter 23

Santana drove Rachel into her house. "Baby you okay?" she asked. Rachel nodded. "Rachel, when do you want to tell Finn?" Santana asked. Rachel looked at Santana.

"I don't know. I'm not so sure. You're right. He probably won't believe me and I just... I don't know if I can handle that." Rachel said. Santana pulled her into her arms. "San..." Rachel said, crying.

"Baby, if he gets angry, I'll be there to set him straight. It doesn't matter if he accepts this, because I do." Santana assured her crying girlfriend. "I know what you're thinking and I know that it's not my baby. I know that it's Finn's baby. But I don't care. I'm _going_ to be there for you. No. Matter. What. I promise you, Rachel Berry. Finn won't get anywhere near you if he's angry. I won't let him. I'll protect you. I will _always_ protect you." Santana said. Rachel nodded and Satnana kissed the top of her girlfriend's head. "Do you want me to call Quinn? Maybe she can give you some advice. And we already know she can keep a secret. She never said a word about us when she found out and she's our friend. Besides, she knows what you're going through." Santana said. Rachel looked up. "Want me to?" Santana whispered. Rachel slowly nodded.

"Call Quinn, please." Rachel requested. Santana nodded and pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed Quinn's number.

* * *

><p>Quinn was lying on her bed when her phone rang. She looked at it and was taken back in time as she saw the name on the Caller ID<p>

**Incoming Call**

**S**

_FLASHBACK_

**_Incoming Call_**

**_S_**

_"S! How'd it go with Rachel and the restaurant?" Quinn asked. Santana laughed good-naturedly._

_"No 'Hello?' Quinn Fabray, I thought you were raised better than that." Santana jokingly chastised her friend Quinn laughed._

_"Sorry. Hello, Santana? How's your day been? Good? Well, that's just peachy. Now, how'd it go with Rachel and the restaurant?" Quinn asked. Santana laughed again._

_"It went great, Q. She forgave me and she loved the ring." Santana said. Quinn grinned._

_"Hi Quinn!" she heard in the background._

_"Rachel says 'hi', by the way." Santana said._

_"Yea. Yea, I heard her. Wait... Santana Lopez, did you call me while on your date?" Quinn asked._

_"Well... yea. Rachel and I thought you'd want to know how it went considering you are the one who helped put this thing together." Santana said. Quinn smiled._

_"Well, I'm glad you called me." Quinn said._

_"Thank you Quinn!" Rachel said in the background. Quinn laughed._

_"Tell Rachel I said 'you're welcome.'" Quinn said to Santana. _

_"Quinn said 'you're welcome.'" Santana said to Rachel. "Anyway, I gotta go. Luv ya, Q!" Santana said to Quinn. _

_"Luv ya too S. Wait... hold on." Quinn said._

_"What's up?" Santana asked._

_"Do you ever think about maybe telling Brittany about this? I mean, she's the third part in our best friend triangle." Quinn said. Santana hesitated before answering._

_"Q, I want nothing more than to tell Britts about this. It's always been you, me, and Britts. All questions asked, no secrets between any of us. But you know B. She's extremely sweet and she means well, but she's also extremely blonde and sometimes she let's secrets slip out on accident. I love her to death, but until __Rachel and I are ready for everyone to know, B has to stay in the dark. Which means that when we do tell people, you're going to have to pretend that you didn't know. At least until she gets over the intial shock." Santana said._

_"Yea. Yea, okay. I will. But you're going to have to tell her eventually, S." Quinn said._

_"I know, Q. I know. But anyway, I have to go. Do you want to talk about anything else?" Santana asked._

_"No. I'm good for now." Quinn said._

_"And you're feeling all right? The baby's okay?" Santana questioned._

_"Yea. We're both good. Thanks for caring S. Go enjoy your date." Quinn said._

_END FLASHBACK_

Quinn snapped out of her flashback when her phone rang again.

**Incoming Call**

**S**

She quickly answered. "Hey San. What's up?"

"What the hell, Q? I've called your damn phone four freaking times already!" Santana yelled into the phone.

"Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts. You sound pissed off. What's wrong?" Quinn asked.

"I need to talk to you. Can you come by Rachel's house? Like now?" Santana asked. Quinn began gathering her bag and jacket.

"I'm on my way." Quinn walked inside. when she arrived. She went into the living room and saw Rachel sitting on the couch, crying. She turned to Santana accusingly.

"Why is she crying? What'd you do?" Quinn demanded. Santana glared at her.

"I didn't do anything, Queen Bitch." Santana said. Rachel spoke up.

"San, Quinn, please stop it." Rachel said. Both girls immediately backed off.

"In all honesty, _your majesty_, Rachel has something to tell you." Santana said. She walked over and sat next to her girlfriend. She put a comforting arm around her and pulled Rachel into her side. "It's okay, baby. You can do this." Santana whispered. Rachel nodded. Quinn walked over and sat on the coffee table so that she was facing Rachel.

"What's up, Rach? Are you okay?" Rachel shook her head. "What's wrong? Are you sick?" Rachel shook her head again. "Then what's wrong? Tell me." Quinn pleaded.

"I'm..." Rachel took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant, Quinn. It's Finn's." Rachel said. Quinn's jaw dropped in shock. "Are... are you mad at me? I know you loved him and I'm sorry I slept with him." Rachel said.

"When?" was all Quinn could say.

"When they were together over Christmas Break." Santana said.

"Rachel, I'm not mad. I wasn't with him. You were together at the time. Finn dumped me, I've moved on. I have no feelings for Finn at all." Quinn said. Relief flooded Rachel's face. "Are you two..." Quinn trailed off.

"We're fine. I'm going to be here for Rachel." Santana said. Quinn nodded. "We were hoping you could give Rachel some advice since you know what's she's going through..." Santana said. Quinn looked down at her baby bump.

"Yea... I'll be here for you throughout the entire thing. But my first bit of advice? Tell Finn. The sooner you tell him, the better off everyone is. The longer you keep it a secret, the harder it will be for you to be able to tell him." Quinn said. Rachel nodded. Santana took her hand in hers. "At least you have Santana to help you through this." Quinn said. Santana smiled.

"Hey, you have Santana to help you through it too." Santana said, smiling. Quinn chuckled. "But, I'm sorry. You're losing your Santana pregnancy support line. It's being redirected to Rachel Berry." Santana said. She leaned in so that their lips were almost touching. "You're my number one." she whispered before softly kissing Rachel. Quinn stood up.

"That's my cue to leave. Rach, you can call me if you need anything. You'll get through this. I am, and you're a lot stronger than I am." Quinn said. Rachel smiled.


	24. Chapter 24

Rachel and Santana layed in Rachel's bed for awhile. Neither girl talked. Rachel didn't feel like talking and Santana knew that Rachel didn't need her to talk. She just needed Santana to be there, which is what Santana intended on doing. She reached over and brushed some hair out of Rachel's face. She sighed. Rachel looked over at her girlfriend. Santana gave her a gentle smile. "What are you thinking about?" Rachel asked. Santana bit her lip.

"I know you're expecting me to say the baby, but honestly that's not what I'm thinking about right now." Santana said. Rachel raised a quizzical eyebrow. "I was thinking about back at the beginning of our relationship." Santana continued. Rachel smiled and thought back.

_FLASHBACK (Rachel's POV)_

_Rachel smiled as she layed in her bed after her first date with Santana. She couldn't believe that Santana Lopez wanted to be in a relationship with her. She thought about how cute Santana had been when asking her out on the date, allowing Rachel to choose if it was an actual date, asking her to be her girlfriend, and then agreeing to Rachel's nicname of choice. Of course, Rachel had had to allow Santana to use her nickname of choice. Santana had been nervous, probably because she thought Rachel would reject after all the torment and the slushies. She reached over to grab her phone, which had just signaled that she had a text message. She smiled when she saw the sender._

**_New Message_**

**_Satan Lopez_**

_Rachel's smile quickly became a frown. Immediately, she went to her contact list and scrolled down to Santana's name. She clicked the 'Edit' button and changed the name. Her phone buzzed again._

**_2 New Messages_**

**_Sanny_**

_Rachel clicked on her inbox and went to the first message_

**_Hey beautiful, just wanted to say good night! :) -San_**

_Rachel smiled and went to the next message._

**_By the way, I love your nickname TINY ;) -San_**

_Rachel laughed as she responded._

**_You're sweet. :) Good night as well. By the way, your nickname is just as loveable SANNY ;) -Rach_**

**_You're adorable. I had a really good time tonight. -San_**

**_So did I. I'm really happy you asked me out. -Rach_**

**_Me too. I've been wanting to do it all semester. -San_**

**_I wish you had done it sooner. :) -Rach_**

**_:) So do I. -San_**

**_So... isn't the point of a 'Goodnight' text to say goodnight before you go to bed? :) -Rach_**

**_lol... when the conversation is with YOU, never. -San_**

**_Are you implying that I talk to much? -Rach_**

**_What? No, that's not what I meant. I meant, I don't want to stop talking to you. -San_**

**_That's sweet. :) Unfortunately, I have to get up early tomorrow. -Rach_**

**_Really? Why? -San_**

**_I have ballet class. -Rach_**

**_Hmmm... you in a leotard... Can I come? ;p -San_**

**_Wow... lol... and no. It's a closed class. BUT would you want to grab lunch tomorrow? -Rach_**

**_:) Sounds great. I'll pick you up outside the dance studio at noon? -San_**

**_Noon is perfect... wait... how'd you know where I take ballet? -Rach_**

**_We live in LIMA, OHIO, Rachel. There's only one dance studio in this town. -San_**

**_Oh right... lol. -Rach_**

**_You totally thought I was stalking you! God, Rach. What kind of person do you think I am? :) - San_**

**_A very forgiving person? :) -Rach_**

**_You're in luck, little lady. I happen to be EXTREMELY forgiving. :) -San_**

**_:) Thank God. Anyway, I really do have to get to sleep. Otherwise you'll be picking me up from the hospital after I break my leg. -Rach_**

**_You are aware that that saying isn't to be taken literally, right? -San_**

**_lol... yes I'm aware. -Rach_**

**_Good, just checking. Good night, Tiny. -San_**

**_:) Good night Sanny. -Rach_**

_END FLASHBACK_

"Did you know going into this relationship that we'd end up like this?" Santana asked.

"What? Me pregnant with Finn's baby?" Rachel asked.

"What? No, that's not what I meant. I meant did you know we'd be this happy and in love?" Santana asked. Rachel smiled.

"That's what I hoped for." Rachel said.

"Me too." Santana replied. Rachel shifted so that Santana's arms were completely wrapped around her body. "I really love you, Rachel."

"I love you too, Santana. Always." Rachel responded. Santana smiled as she thought back to the same night that Rachel had been thinking about.

_FLASHBACK (Santana's POV)_

_Santana drove back to her house after her date wtih Rachel. After an entire semester of secretly crushing on the girl, she had finally gotten up the courage to ask her out. She didn't know what made her choose that exact moment. She was walking toward the parking lot to get in her brand-new car that her dad had bought her for her sixteenth birhtday (she had started school a year late. Her parents didn't want her to be the youngest in her grade) and she saw Rachel by her locker. The thought of the girl going off to some camp or vacation over the summer and meeting someone made the Latina sick to her stomach. She didn't want to lose Rachel before she'd even gotten a chance with her. Next thing she knew, she was walking over to Rachel Berry and asking her out. Only, she didn't have the balls to ask her out completely. She said 'you choose' when Rachel asked her if it was a date. Not that that mattered anymore. Not only had Rachel chosen a date, but Santana had finally gotten the courage to ask Rachel to be her girlfriend and the girl had said yes. In Santana's mind, this was the best day of her life, and she'd had some pretty good days. She pulled into her driveway and went up to her room to get ready for bed, as if she could sleep. Smiling, she pulled out her phone as she got into her bed and under the comforter. She wanted to send her new girlfriend a text. She typed out the message and went through her contact list to find Rachel's number. She frowned as she saw what Rachel was listed under. **'Man-Hands' **Santana had put that in there that way in case Quinn went searching through her phone. She quickly changed it before sending the message._

**_To: Tiny_**

**_Hey beautiful, just wanted to say goodnight! :) -San_**

_She quickly sent another one._

**_By the way, I love your nickname TINY ;) -San_**

_Santana recieved a new message fairly quickly and she and Rachel went on to have a twenty minute conversation before actually going to sleep._

_END FLASHBACK_

Santana smiled as she pulled Rachel closer to her and kissed her softly. "You look tired. Why don't you go to sleep and then we'll talk about what to do about Finn when you wake up." she suggested. Rachel yawned and nodded.

"Okay." Rachel said as she closed her eyes. Santana leaned down and kissed the girl's temple.

"_Te amo mi princesa_." Santana whispered.

"I love you too, Sanny." Rachel replied before drifting off to sleep.


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey I'm not sure if I've ever done a disclaimer, but I want to make it clear that I DON'T own Glee or the characters or the songs or scenes that I use. I only own the original storylines.**

* * *

><p>As Rachel drifted off to sleep, she thought about her friendship with Quinn. Even though the two had forged a semi-friendly relationship after Quinn had walked in on her and Santana and then told them about her pregnancy, they didn't <em>really<em> become friends until Quinn had helped Santana set up the apology dinner. In fact, it was tension between the girls that had almost caused Santana to choose between Rachel and Quinn.

_FLASHBACK_

_Rachel was at her locker getting books for her next class when suddenly it was slammed shut by someone. She looked up to see that the offender was none other than Quinn Fabray. 'Fabulous.' Rachel sarcastically thought. "Oh...He... Hello Quinn." Rachel said, suddenly very afraid of the look in Quinn's eyes. "Can I help you with something?" Quinn scoffed._

_"You want to know if you can help me with something. Do you want to help? Then you can shut the hell up in Glee Club rehearsals for once." Quinn said. Rachel raised an eyebrow._

_"I'm just going to assume that this is because of your pregnancy hormones." Rachel said as she started to walk away. Quinn went after her and turned her around._

_"Don't you dare try and play stupid with me Stubbles. I'm asking you as nicely as I possibly can. Back the hell off in Glee Club rehearsal. It's not all about you. The rest of us can sing too, you know. You're not the only person with talent in this school or even this town." Quinn said._

_"Then why do you keep telling Coach Sylvester everything?" Rachel countered as she turned around again._

_"Excuse me?" Quinn said, following her._

_"I have on good authority that you're her little mole and you can deny it all you want but I know it's true." Rachel said._

_"I have no idea what you're talking about." Quinn said. The two began walking up the stairs._

_"Sue is not on your side, Quinn. She's not on anyone's side but her own. Can you imagine what she's gonna do when she finds out about your situation? She'll probably try to rip off your uniform with her bare hands." Rachel said, turnign around at the top of the stairs. "All right. Every time you whisper in her ear, you empower her to do more damage to the Glee Club. And right now, Glee Club is all you have. And if I were you, I'd recognize who my true friends are. Oh, and I'd practice a little bit more because you obviously have a lot you need to express." Rachel said. Quinn glared at Rachel._

_"I may be a spy for Coach Sylvester, but so is Santana." Quinn said. Rachel shook her head in disbelief._

_"That's not true. That... that can't be true." Rachel said._

_"Hmm... yea. It is. Oh, and you were right about expressing myself." Quinn said as she passed Rachel on the stairs. Rachel turned to look at her. Quinn smirked before pushing Rachel down the flight of stairs. "Did I express myself okay or do you have some pointers for me?" Quinn said._

_"Q! What the hell is going on?" Santana asked as she walked up and saw her girlfriend on the floor. "What the hell did you do to her?" Santana growled as she made her way to Rachel. Rachel looked at Santana. It looked as if she was in pain. "Damn it." Santana swore under her breath. She looked up at Quinn as she knelt down near Rachel's body. "Quinn, if she's hurt, you're going to be in trouble." Santana said, warningly, hoping that anger didn't creep into her voice._

_"Why? Do you care about Man Hands?" Quinn asked. Santana scoffed._

_"As if. I meant by Figgins. Glee Club rehearsals are only toleratable because you're there to make fun of RuPaul of here with me. Britts won't do that. And I can't do that if you're suspended. So get the hell out of here." Santana said, glaring at her best friend. She looked down at her girlfriend. "Come on, Berry. Let's get you cleaned up." Santana said. She helped Rachel up and led her to the bathroom. She locked the door when they were inside. "Are you okay?" Santana asked. Rachel shrugged, refusing to talk to Santana. "What the hell happened out there Tiny?" Santana questioned. Rachel shrugged again. "Damn it, Rachel, talk to me." Santana said. Rachel sighed._

_"Quinn approached me. She was pissed off about something. I have no idea what made her angry. All I know is that she came up to me and told me to shut up in Glee Club rehearsals. I told her that she shouldn't go telling Coach Sylvester everything we do because eventually, Sue is going to find out and kick her off the Cheerios. She then proceeded to tell me that not only is she a spy for Coach Sylvester, but you are as well." Rachel said, glaring at her girlfriend. Rachel gave Santana no time to speak. "Santana, when you first joined the Glee Club, I told you that the Glee Club is the most important thing in my life. You promised me that you wouldn't do anything to mess that up. But you lied. You lied to me. You are telling the one person who has the power to destroy us everything she needs to know to do that." _

_"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied to you. But I can honestly say that I haven't told Coach Sylvester anything in a long time. You have to believe me, Tiny." Santana said. Rachel shrugged. "Rachel, if you want me to I'll choose between you and Q. And she won't like my choice. I'll always choose you Rachel. Always. No matter who it is." Santana said._

_"I never asked you to choose, San." Rachel said._

_"I know, I was just letting you know that you're my number one. No one else has that spot. Only you." Santana said. R__achel turned away from her and looked at the sink. Santana took the opportunity to walk up behind her and put her arms around Rachel's waist. "Rach, are you okay? Physically? I mean, you just got pushed down a flight of stairs." Santana said. Rachel involuntarily leaned into Santana's embrace and sighed._

_"Yea I'm okay. I didn't hit my head." Rachel said._

_"Thank God." Santana whispered._

_"And anway, the stairs aren't that tall." Rachel continued. Santana nodded._

_"Are we okay?" Santana whispered. Rachel turned around to look at Santana in the eyes._

_"Promise me that you won't say anything else to Coach Sylvester." Rachel said. Santana nodded._

_"I swear Rachel. It's not worth losing you and I actually kinda like Glee Club." Santana said. Rachel smiled. "I love you, Rachel." Santana said._

_"I love you too, Santana." Rachel replied. She leaned in to kiss Santana, but the girl chose that moment to look at the clock. _

_"Damn. I have to go to Cheerios practice. But I don't want to leave you, especially not right now." Santana said. Rachel leaned up and kissed Santana. _

_"Go to your practice, Sanny. I'm fine, really. I promise." Rachel said. Santana's phone buzzed._

**_New Message_**

**_Q_**

**_Can you bring Rachel to practice? I want to apologize._**

_Santana slightly smiled and showed Rachel the message. "Your presence is requested at Cheerios practice as well, and by the Queen Cheerio herself no less. Come on, let's go. You can watch your hot girlfriend do her thing while you're pretending to be watching Finn at football practice." Santana said. She laughed at Rachel's expression. "Trust me. It will work, considering the entire school thinks you're in love with him." The two made their way out to the football field. "Go sit in the bleachers." Santana ordered. Rachel protested. "Go, Rachel. You can talk to Q after practice." Santana said. She looked over and saw Quinn making her way towards the pair. Santana shook her head and ran over to Quinn. _

_"Santana, what the hell?" Quinn asked._

_"After practice. You can talk to Rachel after practice. You know how Coach Sylvester feels about anything Glee Club related, particularly Rachel. If she sees her here watching practice... well let's not even go there. Where's everyone else?" Santana asked._

_"Academic probation. Mr. Schue failed every single one of them in his class." Quinn said. Santana threw a glance in Brittany's direction, where the girl was attempting to open a reusable bottle of water._

_"Okay, I understand why he didn't fail you, considering you've never made less than a 95 in a class. And I nderstand why he didn't fail me, considering I'm fluent in Spanish and only took that class because I would be guaranteed an A+. But uh... why... well... how the hell does he justify passing Brittany?" Santana asked, looking over at the blonde who was still trying to figure out the bottle. "B!" she yelled. Brittany looked over at her. "Pull the cap!" Santana yelled. Brittany looked at the bottle and pulled the cap. She smiled over at Santana._

_"Thanks S!" Brittany yelled. Santana smiled and laughed softly before turning back to Quinn._

_"See what I mean?" Santana said. "I love her to death, but no matter how much I help her, she can't understand Spanish. Last time I tried to help her, she became convinced I was a freaking Spanish conquistador and wouldn't come anywhere near me for a week. She just doesn't understand Spanish. Hell, she barely understands English. I'm pretty sure she still doesn't know the order of the second half of the damn alphabet." Santana said. Quinn shrugged. "We both know it's because of the fact that Brittany is in Glee Club. That is the only reason Mr. Schue didn't fail her, which means Coach Sylvesterwill blow a gasket. And she's probably going to say that's we we kept passing, too." Santana continued. Brittany ran over. "Hey B, help me stretch?" Santana asked. Brittany nodded and the two began stretching. Coach Sylvester soon came to the field with a reporter._

_"Q! Here, now!" Coach Sylvester yelled. Quinn glanced at Santana before running over to their coach. Santana looked over at Rachel. Rachel gave Santana a confused look before raising her eyebrow at the fact that Santana's leg was still on Brittany's shoulder. Embarrassed, Santana quickly removed her leg._

_"I'm all stretched now, B." Santana said as the two turned to watch the scene before them play out._

_"Where are my Cheerios?" Coach Sylvester asked. Quinn looked back at Santana before answering._

_"Coach Sylvester, they're not academically eligible. Mr. Schuester flunked them." Quinn answered. Coach Sylvester stared at her in horror before storming off, most likely in search of Will Schuester._

_"Does this mean practice is cancelled?" Brittany asked. Quinn turned around._

_"I think so, B." Quinn said. Brittany nodded._

_"So... then can I go to the park and feed the ducks?" Brittany asked. Quinn smiled before nodded._

_"Sure." Quinn said. Santana raised an eyebrow at Quinn._

_"Actually, B, you can't. I'm sorry, but I can't go with you today." Santana said._

_"I can go by myself, S." Brittany said._

_"B, last time you went by yourself, you almost drowned because you thought one of the ducks was attacking another duck and you dove into the lake to save it. While that was extremely sweet and all, there was one tiny little problem. You can't swim." Santana said. Brittany looked down in disappointment. Santana instantly felt bad. "Oh, B, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I'm just trying to protect you. I want to keep you safe." _

_"It's okay. I didn't have any bread anyway." Brittany mumbled. Santana cussed herself out in her mind._

_"Britts, I'll take you to the park this weekend, okay? We'll feed the ducks then." Santana promised. Brittany shrugged._

_"Britt, I'll go with you to the park. We can stop at the convience store down the street and pick up some bread." Quinn said. Brittany looked up._

_"Really Q?" Quinn nodded and accepted the hug that Brittany pulled her in. "Thank you!" Brittany said._

_"You're welcome." Quinn laughed. "Just let me take care of something real quick, okay?" Quinn said. Brittany nodded and turned to go get her bag. She stopped in her tracks and turned towards Santana. Santana stood still, not knowing what to expect. She smiled as Brittany pulled her into a hug._

_"Luv ya S." Brittany said._

_"Luv ya too, B." Santana said. Quinn smiled. It was a well known fact that Brittany and Santana were closer than Brittany and Quinn or Santana and Quinn. They were all still best friends with each other, but Quinn knew that Santana and Brittany would always be number one on each other's lists and she was okay with being an extremely close second in this case and them being tied for number one on hers. The two had lived next door to each other their entire lives and Quinn moved in across the street from them in the third grade. Santana had been reluctant to let Quinn in, but Brittany welcomed her with open arms. Since then, they'd been inseperable, but Quinn knew the rankings and she was okay with them."So, Q, what was it that you needed to do?" Santana prodded, moving her eyes toward Rachel. _

_"Oh right. Hold on a sec, B. You go get your bag. I'll be right back." Quinn said as she and Santana ran toward Rachel's location and up the bleachers. Quinn sat next to Rachel and Santana stood across from the pair._

_"Hey baby girl." Santana said. Rachel looked up at her girlfriend, offering the smile that always made Santana's face light up._

_"Hey! What's up with Coach Sylvester? What happened to all the Cheerios?" Rachel asked._

_"Mr. Schue failed them. None of them are academically eligible." Santana said. Rachel raised an eyebrow._

_"Okay, I understand you too passing, but... Brittany?" Rachel asked, looking past Santana. Santana and Quinn turned around and saw Brittany attempting to tie her shoe, but was getting frustrated._

_"You know you're going to have to do that for her, right?" Santana said to Quinn._

_"Yea. Yea, I'm fully aware." Quinn said. Santana turned around._

_"Anyway, Q, don't you have something to say?" Santana encouraged._

_"I'm getting to that S! God, let me get to it!" Quinn said. Santana smirked. "Rachel, I'm sorry for attacking you in the hallway. You were right, it was mood swings, but that doesn't excuse my behavior. And it especially doesn't excuse me pushing you down the stairs. I really hope you're okay. I won't be able to forgive myself if you aren't." Quinn said._

_"I'm okay, Quinn." Rachel assured the other girl. Genuine relief flooded Quinn's face._

_"Good. I really hope you can forgive me and..." Quinn trailed off as something caught her eye. "What the hell is she doing?" Quinn asked, looking at Brittany. Santana turned around again. Brittany was holding a magnifying glass to the zipper of her Cheerios bag._

_"I have no idea." Santana said. _

_"Quinn, I accept your apology. I hope we can be friends." Rachel said. Quinn nodded._

_"I'd like that." Quinn said. She reached over and hugged Rachel._

_"Okay that's sweet and all, but Q we need to see what she's up to." Santana said. Quinn nodded and the two ran down the steps of the bleachers. "B! What's up? What are you doing?" Santana asked her best friend._

_"Trying to melt my zipper!" Brittany said enthusiastically. Quinn and Santana smiled at Brittany. Quinn leaned down and began tying the girl's shoe._

_"But why?" Rachel asked as she approached the group. Brittany waved excitedly at Rachel. "Hi Britt." Rachel said kindly._

_"I'm doing this because I couldn't remember how to unzip the bag." Brittany said._

_"Well how'd you get the magnifying glass?" Quinn asked._

_"My backpack." Brittany said._

_"What pocket was it in?" Santana asked. Brittany showed her a pocket with a zipper. Quinn and Santana shared an exasperated look. They were the two most patient people when it came to Brittany. Most people just got frustrated with her. But even they had their limits. Rachel pushed past Santana and grabbed Brittany's backpack._

_"Hey Britt, you know how you opened the pocket to get the magnifying glass?" Rachel asked gently. Brittany nodded and proudly showed Rachel. Rachel offered her a kind, soft smile. "Well, that's exactly what you do with the zipper on your Cheerios bag. It's just a bigger pocket, that's all." Rachel said. Brittany looked at, looked at the bags, and looked back at her. She reached over and tried it._

_"Hey, you're right. Thanks Rachel." Brittany said, hugging the smaller girl. Santana smiled as she watched the interaction. She looked at Quinn_

_"Maybe I should go wtih you guys to the park." Santana whispered to Quinn._

_"No. Enjoy your afternoon with Rachel. I can handle her. I'll call you if I need you." Quinn replied. Santana smiled at her. _

_"Thanks Q." Santana whispered. "Berry, I don't have all day. Hurry up, or your ass can forget about getting a ride home from me. I'll leave you here." Santana said. Rachel looked over and fought a smile. _

_"I'm almost ready, Santana." Rachel said._

_"You wouldn't actually leave her here, would you?" Quinn asked. Santana shook her head._

_"Tried that after our second date. Didn't hear the end of it for a week." Santana said. Quinn laughed. "Yea... that wasn't a joke. I ate meat in front of her. I didn't know she was vegan, so I ordered a hamburger. She didn't really like that." Santana said._

_"No she didn't." Rachel whispered, smiling as she walked up to the pair. "Quinn, thanks for apologizing. It really meant a lot to me." Rachel said. Quinn smiled and allowed Rachel to hug her._

_"I'm just glad you accepted it and that you're okay." Quinn said. Santana smiled and waved goodbye to Brittany as the two walked away._

_"Q! Watch her!" Santana said. Rachel looked at her. "What?" she asked as they walked off the football field._

_"You're going to be glued to your phone all night, just in case, aren't you?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded._

_"She's my best friend. I worry about her. And it wouldn't be the first time Brittany's gotten hurt feeding the ducks." Santana said. Rachel smiled. "Thanks for not getting frustrated with Brittany. I know she can be... difficult, but she's a huge part in my life. She's like my sister. Both of them are." Santana said._

_"I know and I get that. And I really like Brittany. She's actually taught me a lot." Rachel said._

_"Like what?" Santana asked._

_"Patience, for one. And she taught me that even if someone may not be as smart as others, it doesn't mean that they aren't really good people and really sweet and caring. Brittany's a great friend." Rachel said._

_"Yea she is." Santana agreed. Now that she thought about it, Brittany had taught her all those things too. _

_"And I know that if anyone ever made Brittany cry or upset her, you'd be the first person she'd go to. And not just because you'd hunt them down and kick their ass, but because you'd make her feel better first. Or you'd pass her off to Quinn, go on a witch hunt, kick some ass, and then come back and make her feel better." Rachel continued. Santana laughed and stopped walking, under the bleachers. She took Rachel's shoulder's in her hands. They made eye contact._

_"If anyone ever makes you cry or upsets you, I better be the first person you come to. I'll make you feel better after I hunt down whatever jackass upset you and kick their ass. I'll always defend you and then I'll come find you and I'll always make you feel better." Santana promised. Rachel smiled._

_"You'll be my first call." Rachel said._

_"Promise?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded._

_"I promise." Rachel said. She kissed Santana, wrapping her arms around Santana's neck. The taller girl slowly returned the kiss, leaning Rachel against a beam for support and placing her hands on Rachel's hips. Slowly, Rachel pulled away. Santana leaned down for another kiss before clearing her throat._

_"Well, I'm glad you and Quinn worked everything out." Santana said, smilng down at Rachel as they began walking again._

_"Me too." Rachel said._

_END FLASHBACK_

Santana smiled as she watched Rachel sleep. She knew Rachel must have been dreaming about some memory, because that's just how Rachel worked. She postioned her body right up next to Rachel's and fell asleep with her girl in her arms. As she fell asleep, she thought back to when the group had been split up by Schue and Sue. She had hated being apart from Rachel. Glee had been the one place they could be safe, even if they weren't out to their friends. Sure they sat by each other in every class that they shared, but it wasn't the same.

_FLASHBACK_

_"'Whoo!  
><em>_Hey! Ho! Hey! Ho! _

_Where they at?  
>Where they at?<br>Where they at?  
>Where they at?<br>Where they at?  
>Where they at?<br>Where they at?_

_Come on now. _

_I__f you wanna go and take a ride wit me.  
>Three-wheelin' in a four with the gold D's!<br>Oh why do I live this...  
>Hey! Must be the money! <em>

_In the club on the late night!  
>Feelin' right!<br>Lookin', tryin' to spot something real nice!  
>Lookin' for a little shorty hot and horny so that I can take her home!<br>I can take her home! _

_She can be 18, 18 with an attitude!  
>Or 19, kind of snotty, acting real rude!<br>But as long as you're a thicky, thicky, thick girl you know that it's on!  
>You know that it's on! <em>

_Peep somethin' comin' towards me on the dance floor!  
>Sexy and real slow!<br>Sayin' she was peeping and digged the last video! _

_So when "Nelly can we go?"  
>How can I tell her no?<br>Her measurements were 36-25-34! _

_I like the way you brush your hair!  
>I like those stylish clothes you wear!<br>I like it when the light hit the icy glare!  
>And I can see you boo from way over there!" the glee club sang, cheering as they finished.<em>

_"I miss us all being together." Rachel said. She gave Santana a meaningful glance that told her 'Translation: I miss being able to see you.' Santana smiled. 'God, I love that girl.' Sue's Kids had to leave the choir room then, and Santana hugged Brittany and Quinn. Without thinking, she allowed Rachel to hug her. Realizing what was going on, she pulled away. Luckily no one noticed. She winked at Rachel before turning around and leaving._

**_To: Tiny_**

**_I'm sorry that I pulled away when you hugged me, Tiny. I was afraid if I didn't, I'd have started making out with you right there in the middle of the choir room. -San_**

_She only had to wait a moment for a response._

**_It's all right, Sanny. I just miss being able to be around you in Glee Club. -Rach_**

**_I miss you too baby. I miss you too. Do you ever think about telling people about us? -San_**

**_You want to tell people about us? -Rach_**

**_Keeping us a secret was YOUR idea, not mine. I've never had a problem with being out. Just let me know when you're ready and I'll be right by your side. -San_**

**_I'm sorry. -Rach_**

**_Don't be. The only reason I could be upset with you for this would be if you were cheating on me or if ashamed of me and we know THAT can't be true. :) -San_**

**_And what makes you say that? ;) -Rach_**

**_Have you seen me? I'm the hottest girl in the school If you were cheating on me or ashamed of me, I'd have you checked out for mental issues. -San_**

**_To me, you're the hottest girl in the world. -Rach_**

**_You're sweet, but we already knew that. ;p -San_**

**_You're so modest. What a catch. -Rach_**

**_;p Just a part of my charm. But seriously, just let me know. I'll come running to your side. -San_**

**_I love you, Sanny. -Rach_**

**_I love you too, Tiny. -San_**

_END FLASHBACK_

"I love you, Rachel Berry." Santana muttered sleepily. Rachel, who was fully awake by now, heard every word.

"I love you too, Santana Lopez." Rachel said. Santana sat up, surprised her girlfriend was awake. "Go back to sleep, baby. You let me take a nap, now it's my turn to do that for you." Rachel said. Santana layed back down, hooking and arm around Rachel and pulling her closer.

"If I'm going to sleep, you're going to be right here with me." Santana said, kissing Rachel softly.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Rachel said, stroking the taller girl's hair until she fell asleep. She sighed contently, looking down at her stomach. She knew that her life had just been changed forever, but as long as Rachel had the Latina that was in her arms by her side, she was pretty sure she could make it through anything. Now she just had to tell her ex-boyfriend, who was known for having a quick temper and kicking chairs, that he was going to be a dad. And there wasn't even a guarantee that he'd accept it, acknowledge it, or even believe it. She needed to have Santana by her side. Rachel looked down to admire her girlfriend, but was met with a pair worried eyes looking up at her instead.

"I'm not going anywhere, Tiny." Santana said, as if reading her mind. Rachel opened her mouth to question how Santana knew what she was thinking, but was cut off. "And stop thinking so hard. It's keeping me up." Santana said. Rachel smiled and nodded. Yea. With Santana by her side, she could tell Finn about the baby. She knew that Santana would be there for her regardless of his reaction. She just hoped that his reaction wasn't bad.

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter is over 5,000 words! It's my longest chapter yet! I hope you enjoyed it!<strong>


	26. Chapter 26

The next day, Santana picked Rachel up for school. As she drove her girl to get some breakfast on the way to school, Santana asked a delicate question. "Hey Tiny?" she asked. Rachel looked over from her chocolate doughnut.

"What?" she asked, taking a sip from her bottle of apple juice.

"What do you think about me rejoining the Cheerios?" Santana asked. Rachel choked on her apple juice.

"You want to rejoin the Cheerios?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded. "Personally, I think it's an awful idea." Santana's face dropped. "_However_, it is your life and your decision. If you want to rejoin the Cheerios, you have my blessing." Rachel continued. Santana smiled.

"You're sure you're okay with it?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded.

"If that's what you want, then I'm not going to keep you from it." Rachel said. Santana grinned. As soon as they were in the building, Santana went straight to the gym, where she knew the Cheerios were finishing up practice. She watched as a couple Cheerios blew a couple of easy moves, before looking over and seeing Coach Sylvester. Santana made a beeline for her.

"Coach Sylvester, I'd like to talk to you about rejoining the Cheerios." Santana said. Coach Sylvester looked up at her.

"Have you broken up the the singer?" Coach Sylvester asked. Santana shook her head.

"Coach, I don't think that who I'm dating matters, as long as I'm able to do the moves that is required of the Cheerios." Santana said. Coach contemplated this. "Think about how the Cheerios have been without me. You barely won Regionals. That routine I walked in on? I would have had that routine _perfect_. You even had to beg Kurt and Weezy to join the Cheerios." Santana said. Mercedes cleared her throat and Santana looked over. "No offense, guys. You know I love you." Santana said before looking back at Coach Sylvester. "Coach, I was an _excellent _head cheerleader. Your head cheerleader is _Brittany_. I love Brittany to death, but she's not head cheerleader material." Santana said.

"It's true." Brittany said, offering a smile and waved at Santana. Santana smiled and waved at her best friend.

"Fine. You're back on the squad. You can even be head cheerleader again." Coach Sylvester said. Santana smiled. "I'm not finished." Coach Sylvester continued. Santana stopped smiling. "Keep your relationship with the diva out of the Cheerios. I'm not saying you can't see her, but I don't want any drama on my squad and lately, drama seems to follow you everywhere you go." Coach Sylvester said. Santana nodded.

"Yes Coach Sylvester." Santana said. She smiled as she took the duffel bag that held the uniform and shoes. As soon as she turned around, Brittany hugged her.

"I'm so happy for you, S." Brittany said as the two walked to the locker room for Santana to change.

"Thanks B. Are you sure you aren't mad?" Santana asked. Brittany shook her head.

"No. I don't want to be number one. You're better suited for the role of head cheerleader." Brittany said. Santana smiled and finished up changing. The second she stepped out of the locker room in her uniform, the HBIC in her came flowing out. She strutted down the hall, smirking with every step. She enjoyed the looks she was getting. Jealousy from the girls and want from the guys. Not that she would ever acknowledge any of them. She loved her girl. It was just nice to get those looks again. However, as soon as she turned the corner and saw Rachel, the HBIC persona instantly dropped and the real Santana came out. She smiled a genuine smile and jogged down the hall to her girl. She reached Rachel, where the girl was getting stuff out of her locker. She took a book out of the diva's hand.

"Let me help you with that." Santana said, coming around to smile at Rachel. Her girlfriend gave her a nod of acknowledgement, looking for something in her locker. Slowly, Rachel's head came back out of her locker and looked at Santana. She looked at her girlfriend's body up and down a few times before realization actually hit her. She opened her mouth, closed it, and then smiled.

"Oh my god." Rachel said. Santana nodded. "Oh my god." Rachel repeated. Santana grinned and leaned up against the lockers. "You're... you're... you're back on the... oh my god!" Rachel said, jumping into Santana's arms.

"Whoa there _chica_. Calm down, baby." Santana said. Rachel laughed. "I'm serious Rachel. Be careful, Tiny. I don't want you to get hurt." Santana said. Rachel slightly pulled back. Santana stayed leaning against the lockers, slightly spread her legs, and pulled Rachel to stand between them. She leaned down and kissed Rachel.

"I'm so damn proud of you." Rachel said.

"Hey, you should be ecstatic right now." Santana said. Rachel's brow furrowed.

"Why's that?" Rachel asked.

"You get to make out with the head cheerleader." Santana said.

"Wait... I thought Brittany was the head cheerleader." Rachel said.

"She doesn't want to be." Santana said.

"Are you sure?" Rachel asked.

"Brittany is incapable of lying, Rach." Santana said.

"Yea... I guess you're right. I'm so happy for you." Rachel said. Santana hugged her girlfriend.

A couple of Cheerios watched Rachel and Santana from down the hall. The leader of the group of freshmen cheerleaders watched in disgust. "Unbelievable. Lopez quits to be with the freak of the Gleeks and then Coach just lets her waltz back in and rejoin. This is not okay. We need to do something." she turned to the Cheerio on her right. "Chloe, you and Santana have a type of relationship right?" she asked.

"Uh... she's my next door neighbor. We talk sometimes. Why?" Chloe asked. The first Cheerio smirked. "What are you thinking, Haley?" Chloe asked. She shared a look with the third cheerleader, Emma.

"I'm thinking... you can be our distraction. You can distract Santana when we go through with our plan. And I have a plan." Haley said. Chloe looked worried as Haley and Emma walked away, discussing the plan. Santana looked over and saw Chloe looking at her. Santana shot the younger girl a smile and a wave. Chloe smiled and waved back before jogging after her friends.

"Anyway, have you decided what to do about Finn?" Santana whispered. Rachel nodded.

"I'm gonna tell him after school." Rachel said.

"I'll be there." Santana said. Rachel smiled. "Do you wanna have lunch together?" Santana asked, turning her attention back to her girlfriend. Rachel shook her head. Santana raised an eyebrow. "Uh... okay? What's up with that?... Oh. Oh, I get it. You're worried that since I rejoined the Cheerios, all the attention will be focused on me instead of you. Rachel Berry, that's kinda selfish." Santana teased. Rachel hit her shoulder lightly.

"No, it's not that. I just figured that you'd want to be involved in all the attention that'll be focused on you." Rachel said. Santana rolled her eyes and smiled.

"There's only one person's attention that matters to me. And I'm looking at her. So how about we eat in the choir room. Then you can have me all to yourself." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"I'd love too, San." Rachel said. Santana smiled and kissed her girlfriend quickly before they headed off to class. When the lunch bell rang, Santana went to her locker to get her food.

"Hey San?" she heard a voice from behind her say. She turned around and saw Chloe. She smiled. "Can we talk?" Chloe asked.

"Hey Chloe. What's up? Hey, I've got to go this way, can we walk and talk?" Santana asked. Chloe nodded and fell in step with the older Cheerio. "What do you want to talk about?" Santana asked.

"Uh... I was wondering... how do you know when you're ready for... you know... sex?" Chloe asked. Santana stopped in her tracks with her mouth slightly open.

"Oh! Uh... well... when you think you're ready... and you're... you know... old enough... I'm sorry this is kind of awkward. Let me start over." Santana said as they continued walking. She couldn't believe this. Her friends ahd come to her for advice on sex before and she'd never had a problem with it. But something was different about the girl she saw as a younger sister. They reached her locker. "Okay, look. When you do decide that you want to have sex, you need to make sure you're ready. That's a decision that only you can make. No one else can make it for you. And when you do decide, don't tell me who it is, because I'll probably try to kill him." Santana said, smiling down at the younger girl.

"How old were you when you lost your virginity?" Chloe asked. Santana's eyes widened as she froze her motions.

"Uh... I'm still a virgin." Santana said, closing her eyes at her lame answer. Everyone knew she wasn't a virgin.

"Santana..." Chloe said, smiling.

"Chloe that's a question I don't think you're mom wants me answering." Santana said.

"San..." Chloe said.

"Thirteen, okay?" Santana said. Chloe smiled. "But that doesn't mean you have to run out and lose your virginity." Santana said. She grabbed her lunch out of her locker. "I have to go, because this is kind of embarrassing. Do you have anything else you want to talk about?" Santana asked. Before she could answer, Tina came running up.

"Santana, it's Rachel. She's in trouble." Tina said.

"Where is she?" Santana demanded.

"In front of the choir room." Tina said. Santana pushed her lunch into Tina's hand and sprinted toward the choir room. Her heart stopped as she saw a crowd around the choir room.

"Break it up!" Santana yelled. She pushed three kids out of the way to get through. She saw Rachel pushed up against the wall, surrounded by two Cheerios. "Back away." Santana growled. Haley turned and smirked.

"Why should we Lopez?" Haley sneered.

"Are you forgetting that I'm your head cheerleader again? I can _ruin_ you." Santana said. Emma slowly backed away from Rachel. Haley stood her ground. She punched Rachel in the stomach. The diva screamed in pain, sliding to the floor. "Rach!" Santana yelled. She ran over to her girlfriend, throwing Haley back. "Tiny..." Santana said. Quinn and Brittany walked over to see what the commotion was and saw Rachel on the ground. They ran over.

"Rachel, are you okay?" Quinn asked. Santana looked up at Haley with fury in her eyes.

"You idiot!" Santana yelled. Haley laughed.

"Why? Because someone finally taught the freak of the Gleeks a lesson?" Haley sneered. Santana was up off the floor faster than lightning and next thing Haley knew, she was pinned against the wall.

"She's pregnant, you bitch." Santana yelled. Haley's eyes widened.

"Oh, S, I didn't... I didn't know." Haley stammered.

"Oh you know, its okay. You didn't know." Santana said, turning away.

"Really?" Haley asked. Santana turned and punched her in the face.

"Hell no! Are you insane? You're lucky you're still alive right now!" Santana yelled.

"S! _Rachel_ needs you right now." Quinn yelled. Santana pushed Haley back into the lockers again before turning around. She spotted Chloe looking at her with a guilty expression. Santana shook her head in disgust before going back over to Rachel

"Baby, are you okay? Are you hurt? Do you need anything?" Santana asked. Rachel opened her mouth and attempted to speak. "Baby, talk to me." Santana pleaded

"Hos... hospital, please?" Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"Of course. Let's go. B, help me out." Santana said. Brittany nodded. Santana picked Rachel up and carried her down the hall. Quinn started to follow, but turned. Spotting Haley, Quinn went over and hit her.

"You gonna hit me back? You apparently like hitting pregnant girls." Quinn said.

"I didn't know she was pregnant!" Haley yelled. Quinn rolled her eyes and ran after her friends.


	27. Chapter 27

Santana gently put Rachel in the car. "Baby, you're gonna be okay. I promise." Santana said. She looked at Brittany and saw Quinn approaching. "What took you so long, Q?" Santana asked.

"I had a baby Cheerio to punch." Quinn said.

"I'm going to kill them if something happens to Rachel or the baby." Santana said. Quinn hugged her best friend. "Get in the car. You're going with us." Santana said. Quinn and Brittany nodded and got in the back of the car. Santana ran around to the driver's side door and jumped in the car. She looked at Rachel. "Baby, I'm gonna help you. I swear." Santana said as she started the car and drove to the hospital. When they arrived, Quinn ran ahead of them.

"I need a doctor!" she yelled. The receptionist looked at her.

"Are you going into labor?" she asked.

"No! Not for me! For her!" Quinn yelled, gesturing toward Rachel, who was being carried in by Santana.

"What's wrong with her?" the receptionist asked.

"She's pregnant and some bitch punched her in the stomach." Santana said. The receptionist's eyes widened and called a doctor. Suddenly, a wheelchair appeared in Santana and she placed Rachel into the chair and leaned down. "You're gonna be okay baby. I'm gonna be out here waiting for you, okay?" Santana said. Rachel nodded and was wheeled off by a nurse. Quinn and Brittany pulled her to the waiting area and sat her down in a chair

"She's gonna be fine, S." Brittany said. Santana nodded.

"I hope so." Santana said.

"San?" Santana turned to see Chloe standing a few feet away.

"What do you want?" Santana asked.

"Is Rachel okay?" Chloe asked.

"I don't know. I don't think you should be here." Santana said.

"San..."

"Was asking me advice just a way to distract me so that your Cheerio friends could hurt her?" Santana asked. Chloe looked down. "It doesn't matter if Rachel and the baby's okay, because you're already dead to me. Get out of here." Santana growled. Chloe nodded and ran out of the hospital. Santana sat back down and they waited for about twenty minutes before a doctor came to get her.

"She's going to be okay." the doctor said. Santana breathed a sigh of relief.

"What about the baby?" Santana asked.

"The baby's fine." the doctor assured her. Santana nodded. "You can go see her now. She's free to go whenever." the doctor told her. Santana wasted no time in getting in the room.

"Hey." Rachel said, smiling weakly.

"Hi." Santana whispered. She walked over and sat in a chair by her girlfriend's bed. She grabbed Rachel's hand. "Baby are you okay?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded.

"How's the..." Rachel trailed off.

"The baby's fine, Tiny. You're both okay." Santana said. Rachel smiled. "I'm so sorry, baby. I'm going to kill them, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." Santana said.

"It's not your fault, S. It's okay. I'm okay, the baby's okay. _We're _okay, right?" Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"Of course we are. We've never not been okay. Those baby cheerios won't be okay, though. I'm not letting this go, baby." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"Don't be _too_ violent." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"I knew there was a reason I loved you." Santana said. Rachel grinned. "Wanna go home now?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded. "Okay, let's get you out of here." Santana said. Soon, they were back at Rachel's house with Brittany and Quinn.

"Sanny, I'm gonna go take a nap for a bit." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"Go ahead. We'll be downstairs. Food'll be ready for you when you wake up." Santana said, kissing Rachel. The moment she heard Rachel's door closed, she turned to Quinn and Brittany. "How do you kill three baby Cheerios?" Santana asked.

"Do you really want to involve Chloe in this?" Brittany asked.

"Hell yea! If she hadn't distracted me, I would've been at the choir room sooner." Santana said.

"But you love Chloe. She's like a younger sister to you." Quinn said.

"She _was_ like a sister to me." Santana said.

"Look, I think you shouldn't do anything to Chloe. You have the right to be pissed off for sure. But you should calm down, and then talk to her. I'm not saying you can't deal with the other two, but deal with Chloe separately." Quinn said. Santana nodded.

"Fine. How do you kill _two_ baby Cheerios?" Santana asked. Quinn grinned.

"S, you're head cheerleader. You can do whatever the hell you want to them and you can't be touched." Quinn said.

"You have apoint, Fabray. You have a point." Santana said. She heard a thud from upstairs. "Crap." she said. She ran up the stairs. "Rachel? she asked, running into the girl's room. "Tiny, you okay?" Santana asked, seeing Rachel in her pajamas with her hair in a ponytail, holding a broom. Rachel shook her head. "What's wrong?" Santana asked.

"I knocked over a lamp..." Rachel said. Santana looked over and saw a broken lamp on the floor.

"Hey, it's okay. We can clean this up. Don't even worry about it." Santana said. Rachel nodded and Santana cleaned up the broken lamp. Rachel got in her bed and Santana kissed her forehead. "It's okay. We'll get you a knew one, Tiny." she said, smiling. She left the room and allowed Rachel to take her nap. "Rachel broke a lamp. She's fine." she said when she saw Quinn and Brittany's worried faces. There was a knock on the door. Santana went over and opened it. "Hudson... what are you doing here?" Santana asked. Finn went into the house.

"Where the hell is Rachel?" Finn yelled.

"She's sleeping, so can you be quiet?" Santana asked.

"When was she going to tell me she's pregnant?" Finn said in a quieter voice.

"This afternoon. We were going to tell you this afternoon." Santana said.

"'_We_?'" Finn asked. Santana nodded. "This doesn't involve you. This is between me and Rachel, so stay out of it." Finn said.

"Rachel doesn't want to rasie the baby with you. She doesn't even know if she wants to raise the baby at all." Santana said. Finn sighed. "Look Finn, let Rachel sleep. She'll call you to talk to you about all this when she's ready. But until then, just back off." Santana said. Finn stared at Santana before walking out of the house. Santana sighed and closed the door. "Well, he's going to make for one _un_happy baby daddy." Santana said to no one in particular. She went back to the living room and formulated a plan with Quinn and Brittany.


	28. Chapter 28

Haley, Chloe and Emma were sitting in the library when their phones vibrated. All three phones had the same message.

**New Message**

**Santana Lopez**

**Emergency Cheerios Practice at 4 in the gym. Make sure you're on time.**

Haley looked at Emma. "She's gonna kill us." Haley said.

"She's gonna kill _you_. You're the one who hit her pregnant girlfriend in the stomach." Emma said. Haley sighed.

At four, Santana and Brittany walked into the gym and saw the entire Cheerios squad sitting in the bleachers. They walked to the front of the group. "Okay. Let's get started." The cheerleaders started to move from the bleachers. "Hold on. I think we should start with some on the spot cheerleading. Who wants to volunteer?" Santana asked. No one raised their hands. "No one? Okay... how about... some _baby_ cheerios? Haley, Emma, front and center." Santana said. Cautiously, the two made their way down the bleachers. Santana proceeded to yell out many very difficult cheerleading moves at rapid fire speed. The two could hardly keep up. Finally Brittany spoke up.

"S, I think they've had enough." Brittany said. Santana looked over at Brittany, looked at the two girls struggling to breathe, and sighed.

"All right. That's enough." Santana called out. Haley and Emma ran over and got water. "You guys are dismissed. See you tomorrow." Everyone started to move. "Wait... one more thing. Haley, Emma, can you guys come here real quick?" Santana asked. the two came over. "Guys, listen up. These two right here, they thought it was okay to mess with my girlfriend and then hit her in the stomach when she's pregnant. I figure... since it's okay for them to embarrass her, no reason they shouldn't be embarrassed, right?" Santana said, looking at Brittany, who smiled. "So did you know that Emma still sleeps with a night light, a teddy bear, _and _a blankie? Oh and her daddy still has to check for monsters under her bed every night." Santana said. Emma blushed furiously as the rest of the Cheerios snickered. "Oh and let's not forget about poor Haley over here! Did you know she has a boyfriend? He's the captain of the chess team _and _the Mathletes. Oh and he's even president of the Scrabble club, which I didn't even know we had but apparently we do." Santana said.

"Sounds like a winner, Hales!" a Cheerio yelled out, causing Santana and Brittany to smirk.

"You bet he does. Anyway, that's it for today. See you guys tomorrow morning." Santana said. Everyone filed out. "Oh and Haley? Next time you want to punch Rachel? Don't." Santana said. Haley nodded. "Oh, and you better go home and thank God that Rachel and the baby are all right because otherwise, that would have been a hell of a lot worse." Santana continued. Haley nodded again and ran out of the gym. Santana made eye contact with Chloe and started to turn around, but stopped when the younger girl spoke.

"Why didn't you do that to me?" Chloe asked.

"Because I wouldn't do that to you. But I'm still pissed at you." Santana said, before turning around and walking out of the gym with Brittany. She drove them back to Rachel's house and walked inside to see Rachel on the couch. "Where's Q?" Santana asked.

"In the bathroom. Where'd you go? I woke up and you two were gone." Rachel said.

"Taking care of some baby Cheerios. And don't worry, no violence was involved... directly." Santana said as she approached Rachel. She motioned for Rachel to move forward and Santana sat down, pulling Rachel between her legs and wrapping her arms around her. Rachel leaned back so that she was practically lying on top of Santana.

"What did you do?" Rachel asked. Santana grinned.

"Let's just say they'll be afraid of the word 'roundoff' for awhile. At least when it comes out of my mouth, anyway." Santana said. Rachel smirked.

"I really shouldn't condone this." Rachel said.

"Yes you should." Santana said, smiling. Rachel rolled her eyes playfully.

"Anyway, I decided something while you were gone." Rachel said. Santana looked at Brittany.

"I'll just... be in the kitchen." the blonde said. When she was gone, Rachel spoke.

"I think I want to keep the baby... and raise it with you, if you want to." Rachel said. Santana started to smile, but stopped.

"Are you sure this is what you want, Rach?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded.

"I want to have a life with you. I know that we're only 16, but I really love you and I can see myself being with you for the rest of my life. I want you to be a part of my baby's life, because you're such a big part of mine." Rachel said. Santana smiled and kissed her girlfriend.

"Of course I'll raise the baby with you. I was actually kinda hoping that you'd choose to keep it. I want to be with you for the rest of my life too." Santana said. Rachel smiled. "I love you, Rach. Don't ever forget that." Santana said.

"I won't." Rachel promised. Quinn came in the room.

"How'd it go?" Quinn asked.

"Amazing." Santana replied, smirking. Quinn grinned back.

"We have some news." Rachel said. Quinn nodded and sat down.

"B! Get in here!" Santana yelled. The peppy blonde came running in the room.

"So... I decided I'm going to keep the baby. And I want Santana to raise it with me." Rachel said. Both blondes squealed.

"That's awesome. I'm so happy for you." Brittany said.

"What are you going to do with yours?" Santana asked Quinn.

"I don't know. Puck wants me to keep it, but I don't know if I can. I'm not as strong as you, Rachel." Quinn said.

"Yea you are. Just think, our babies could grow up together and be friends." Rachel said. Quinn smiled.

"That's sounds fun." Quinn said.


	29. Chapter 29

The next day, Santana and Rachel were sitting in the choir room when Finn walked in. He started to walk toward Rachel, but Mr. Schue walked in and told him to sit down. Santana raised her hand and Mr. Schue acknowledged her. "Mr. Schue, with all due respect, I really don't want Finn and Rachel singing the leads together in _Somebody to Love _and _Don't Stop Believin'_." Santana said. Finn stared at her with his mouth open.

"Santana!" Rachel said.

"I'm just not comfortable with it after everything." Santana said. Finn sighed and stood up. "Don't sigh at me like that, Hudson." Santana said.

"Santana, I'm merely showing you that my voice goes great with Rachel's voice and there's no need to keep my voice contained." Finn said.

"Considering you couldn't keep any other part of you contained..." Santana said under her breath. Rachel shot her a glare before, looking up at Finn.

"What did you have in mind Finn?" Rachel asked. He came over and whispered a song in her head. She smiled and stood up walking to the center of the room. Finn walked over to the drums and started playing.

_Something in the way you love me  
>Won't let me be<br>I don't wanna be prisoner  
>So, baby won't you set me free<em>_  
>Stop playing with my heart<br>Finish what you start  
>When you make my love come down<em>

Rachel stood behind Santana while singing this part, making it so that Santana could feel her breath on the back of her neck. Santana looked up and smiled at her girlfriend.

_If you want me let me know  
>Baby let it show<br>Honey don't you fool around_

Finn started singing.

_Don't try to resist me  
>Open your heart to me, baby<br>I'll hold the lock and you'll hold the key_

Rachel joined in

_Open your heart to me, darling  
>I'll give you love if you<br>You turn the key_

_Something in your eyes  
>Is making such a fool of me<br>(you're making me, you're making such a fool of me)  
>I see on the streets and you walk on by<br>(you're on the streets, I see you when you walk on by)  
>When you hold me in your arms<br>You love me till I just can't see  
>(Oooooooooooooooh)<br>So you choose to look the other way  
>Well, I've got something to say<em>

_Open your heart to me baby  
>I'll hold the lock and you'll hold the key<br>Open your heart to me darling  
>I'll give you love if you<br>You turn the key_

_Open your heart  
>I'll make you love me<em>

_I'll hold the lock and you hold the key  
>Open your heart to me darling<br>I'll give you love if you  
>You turn the key<em>

_Ooooooooooooh_

_Open your heart with the key!_

"Hey! Frankenteen! Back away from my girl!" Santana said.

"Why should I?" Finn asked, who was holding Rachel in his arms.

"Because simply touching her could make her baby stupid!" Santana said. Mr. Schue's eyes widened.

"Rachel, are you pregnant?" Mr. Schue asked. Everyone looked at him in disbelief.

"Please, Mr. Schue. That is _so_ yesterday." Kurt said.

"Seriously. Santana yelled it out when that bitch Haley, you know that freshman Cheerio, punched Rachel in the stomach." Mercedes said. Mr. Schue raised an eyebrow.

"Rachel, did you go to the doctor?" Mr. Schue asked. Santana rolled her eyes.

"No, Mr. Schue. I just left her to fend for herself after getting punched in the stomach." Santana said. Mr. Schue shrugged. "I'm not an idiot, Jerry Curl." Santana continued.

"San... knock it off." Rachel said. Santana smirked in her direction.

"Anything for you, Tiny." Santana said. She smirked in Finn's direction. "Anyway, Finnocence, just back off, okay. She's not your girl." Santana warned.

"She's carrying _my_ baby!" Finn yelled. Everyone gasped. Santana looked at them in disbelief.

"Oh come on! Did you really think that _I_ got Rachel pregnant?" Santana yelled. Everyone looked down. "You thought the baby was _mine_?" Santana asked.

"No. We just didn't think it would be Finn's." Matt said. Rachel's phone rang.

"It's the hospital." Rachel said to Santana. Santana looked at Mr. Schue, silently asking permission to go out into the hallway. He nodded, and Santana carefully led Rachel out of the choir room. "Hello?" Rachel answered. She listened for a bit, before handing the phone to Santana. "I can't do this." she whispered. Santana nodded, took the phone, and pulled Rachel into a hug while she spoke on the phone.

"Hello?" she said.

"Ms. Berry?" the person on the other end of the conversation said.

"No, this is Santana Lopez. I'm a friend of Rachel's." Santana said.

"We have the results from the tests we took when Ms. Berry was at the hospital yesterday. Is she okay with you hearing the results?" the hospital person said.

"Let me ask." Santana said. She looked down at Rachel. "You okay with me hearing the results of your test?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded. "Yea, she's okay with it." Santana said.

"Okay well, we don't know the genders, but we do-" Santana interrupted.

"Wait. _Genders_? Plural? As in more than one?" Santana asked. Rachel looked up.

"How many am I carrying?" Rachel whispered. Santana shrugged.

_"I don't know."_ She mouthed. She listened for a moment. "She's carrying _how_ many?" Santana half-yelled. Rachel looked up with eyes wide.

"San." Rachel whispered. Santana held up a hand.

"Yea... yea okay. Thanks." Santana said. She hung up the phone. "We have an appointment at 4 to talk to the doctor." Santana told Rachel. She leaned down and whispered in Rachel's ear. Rachel's eyes widened even further. "Are you okay?" Santana asked.

"Ask me that in eight months." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"Let's get back in there." Santana said. Rachel nodded and the two reentered the choir room. "Well, Finnocence, you apparently have more testosterone than we all thought." Santana said.

"Why? What's up?" Puck dared to ask.

"I'm carrying quadruplets." Rachel said quietly.


	30. Chapter 30

That afternoon, Santana and Rachel walked into the doctor's office. Santana had to bite her lip to keep from interrupting the doctor while he was explaining everything and pointing out where each baby was. The minute he asked if either one of them had any questions, Santana opened her mouth. "Yea, I have a question. How do you expect her to deliver four babies?" Santana asked. The doctor looked confused.

"I'm not sure I know what you mean." he said.

"Look at her. She's as big as a freaking pencil. How the hell is she supposed to have the strength to push out four babies?" Santana asked. Rachel put a hand on Santana's arm to calm her down.

"What Santana is _trying_ to say is, are there any other options?" Rachel asked.

"Well, one option is to abort two of the babies." the doctor said.

"Hell no." Santana and Rachel said at the same time.

"Rachel, don't put that idea down just yet." the doctor said. Rachel shook her head.

"Dr. Wu, with all due respect, there is not a chance in hell that I am killing _any_ of my babies." Rachel said.

"What about a C-Section? That's how I was born and that's how my four year old half sister was born." Santana offered.

"Isn't that where they cut you open?" Rachel asked, grimacing. Dr. Wu nodded. "I don't know how I feel about that." Rachel said.

"Rachel, it's either that or push out all four of them." Santana said.

"Unfortunately, it's to risky with four babies. We try to refrain from C-Sections if there's more than one baby being delivered." Dr. Wu said.

"Well, could she maybe deliver two of them regularly and then have a C-Section for the other two?" Santana asked. Dr. Wu contemplated that.

"It's a possibility, but we'd have to see how it goes." he said. Santana sighed in frustration.

"Well how the hell did Octo-Mom do it?" Santana asked, crossing her arms over her Cheerios top.

"Santana. Calm down." Rachel said.

"What are the risks?" Santana asked.

"Well, with all births, there is always the risk of death. But that's always a risk. It's highly unlikely." Dr. Wu said. Rachel's eyes went wide.

"And with her it's even more likely, because she's so small and there's four of them inside of her." Santana said, mostly to herself.

"Santana..." Rachel said.

"Rachel, I don't call you 'Tiny' for no reason. You're small. And while that's great for ballet and stuff, it's not so great for giving birth to quadruplets." Santana said.

"Sanny..." Rachel said. Santana turned on Dr. Wu.

"Isn't there anything you can do to help her?" Santana asked.

"San..." Rachel said. Apparently Dr. Wu took too long to answer for Santana's tastes.

"Oh my god. You're a doctor, for God's sake! Get to knowin'!" Santana yelled.

"S..." Rachel whispered warningly. Santana turned to Rachel.

"Rach, you could _die_." Santana said, her voice cracking. Rachel saw tears in Santana's eyes, threatening to fall. She reached out to touch Santana, but the girl suddenly stood up. "I'm sorry. I have to go." she said before leaving the room. Rachel bit her lip as the door slammed.

"Thank you for your time, Dr. Wu." Rachel said, standing up. Dr. Wu nodded. "I'm sorry." she whispered before following her girlfriend. She went down the hall and made her way to the lobby. She exited the building and looked for Santana. She saw the girl sitting on a bench outside the building. She walked over to the Latina. "You want to talk about what happened in there?" Rachel asked as she reached the bench. She looked closer and saw her girlfriend crying. "Hey... what's wrong? I'm okay." Rachel said softly. She reached down to tuck a strand of hair that had fallen out of Santana's ponytail when she ran out of the building behind her ear. Santana reached up and grabbed Rachel's hand when it was on her face.

"But you might not be. Tiny, I can't lose you." Santana said. Rachel looked down. "Rachel, if having these babies is going to kill you, then maybe we should end it." Santana said. Rachel pulled her hand away.

"You want me to get an abortion? You were so against when Quinn was considering getting one." Rachel said.

"Q wasn't in danger of dying. She was going to do it to keep her spot on the Cheerios. If Quinn's situation was like this, I would have supported her. You wouldn't be doing it for selfish reasons. You'd be doing it to save your life." Santana said.

"We don't know that I'm going to die." Rachel said.

"We don't know that you won't, either!" Santana yelled. Rachel stared in disbelief.

"San, I'm not getting an abortion. For any of the babies. And I'm not going to die." Rachel said.

"How do you know?" Santana asked.

"Because I'm going to have you with me the entire way. You make me stronger, S." Rachel said.

"I can't lose you." Santana said. Rachel sat down next to her and took both of her hands into her own.

"You won't. You can't get rid of me that easily, Santana Lopez. I'm not just some random person you blow off in the store. I'm your girlfriend. Which means I must be pretty tough, considering you don't date wimps." Rachel said. Santana laughed, but it came out like a cough.

"You're pretty kick-ass, Rach." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"You're not so bad yourself." Rachel said.

"I could _kill _Hudson for this." Santana said. Rachel shook her head.

"Don't. Because in the end, it's just going to make our impossibly strong bond even stronger. We can only gain from this." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"I promise, I'm going to all I can to protect you. And if Haley comes near you again, I'll kill her." Santana said.

"Now that you can do." Rachel said. Santana nodded. "Let's go home. I need to figure out how I'm going to tell my dads." Rachel said. Santana nodded and they went to Santana's car.


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: One of my readers has pointed out to me that I made some mistakes with my information about pregancies in the last chapter. I'm sorry about that. I am not an expert in being pregnant. I've never been pregnant and I've _certainly _never been pregnant with quadruplets! (ow! I honestly don't know why I chose quadruplets... I just seemed like a fun storyline!) Unless you guys want me to be factual and accurate, I'm going to continue the storyline as origianlly anticipated. Just let me know in the review section. :)**

* * *

><p>The next afternoon, Rachel and Santana were about to walk into the choir room to eat lunch together went Jesse blocked their path. "What do you want, St. James?" Santana growled, putting an arm possesively around Rachel's waist.<p>

"I want Rachel to admit that she's pregnant with my babies." Jesse said. Santana looked at Rachel, who was completely jaw-dropped.

"What are you talking about?" Rachel asked. Jesse smirked.

"Rach, we had sex right after I transferred here. Don't act like it didn't happen. It's a little too late for that now." Jesse said. Santana's glare flickered between her girlfriend and the douche bag she wanted to kill. Rachel looked at Santana.

"Hold up. That was right after we got back together. Rach..." Santana said.

"S, I swear, I didn't cheat on you. Espesically not with _Jesse_." Rachel said. Santana pushed Jesse.

"You need to leave." Santana said. Jesse stood his ground.

"No. I'm the father. I'm not going to let her ignore that fact." Jesse said. Santana pushed harder.

"Get the hell away." she hissed. He sighed.

"Rachel, when you're ready to be honest with yourself, call me." Jesse said as he walked away. Santana fought the urge to run after him and kick him in the balls. Instead she grabbed Rachel's hand tightly and finished the short journey to the choir room.

"You want to tell me what the hell that was about?" Santana asked as nicely as she could.

"I honestly have no idea. I didn't sleep with Jesse, San." Rachel said. Santana looked down. "I didn't cheat on you. I wouldn't do that." Rachel said. Santana sighed.

"Look, Tiny..." Santana started. Rachel interrupted.

"Are you breaking up with me?" Rachel asked. Santana raised an eyebrow.

"No... I'm not breaking up with you over something Jesse St. Douche Bag said. I just... I need some time to think about this okay? But I'm not breaking up with you." Santana said. Rachel stared at her in disbelief. "We'll talk about this later, okay?" Santana said before walking out of the choir room. Rachel watched her leave the room, before sitting down in a chair and crying. Brittany and Quinn entered the room.

"Hey Rach, have you seen S?" Quinn asked absently before noticing that Rachel was crying. She and Brittany looked at each other before quickly walking over to Rachel. "Rachel, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Quinn asked.

"Santana and I were walking down the hall when Jesse stopped us and claimed that he's the father of my babies. He said that we'd slept together right after he transferred here, which was right after Santana and I got back together. Now, Santana thinks I cheated on her, but I didn't. I swear, Quinn, I didn't." Rachel cried into her friend's shoulder.

"I believe you... Did Santana break up with you?" Quinn asked. Rachel shook her head. "Then there's a really good chance that she believes you, too. She's just protecting her pride right now. She's just trying to formulate a way to get you guys past this, because she doesn't believe Jesse. Rach, she loves you. She already told you that she wants to help raise your babies. She bought you a freaking promise ring for Christ's sake. I was there when she bought it and I can honestly say I have never seen Santana put so much thought into buying something, particularly a gift. And I think you and I both know how much thought and effort she puts into gifts." Quinn said. Rachel nodded. For Rachel's birthday, Santana had bought her a cake in the shape of a gold star, a professionally framed sign that said '_Rachel and Santana Forever', _and (of course) a framed picture of Rachel and Santana together. Not to mention sheet music to almost all of Rachel's favorite Broadway musicals along with a framed display of the programs to every Broadway show that Rachel had gone to see with her dads. Santana had gotten the programs from Rachel's dads. Santana had set up a surprise party and everything. "And I have never seen her get jewelry as a gift, and I generally go with her to buy gifts. She doesn't even buy the four-dollar necklaces at Walmart for people. The closest she's come to jewelry is a candy necklace for Mia. That's it." Quinn continued. Rachel nodded. Quinn motioned for Brittany to sit in her spot while she went and searched for Santana. She found her in the nearest bathroom. "S? You okay?" she asked. Santana shrugged.

"Jesse St. James is Jesse St. Dead." Santana said. Quinn smirked.

"What happened to 'Finn I'm Going To Throw You In The Hudson River?" she asked. Santana laughed, but it sounded forced. "You want to talk about it?" Quinn asked.

"He accused Rachel of cheating on me." Santana said.

"Do you believe him?" Quinn asked. Santana shook her head.

"No." she answered. Quinn nodded.

"That's what I thought. That's what I told Rachel." Quinn said. Santana's head shot up at the mention of her girlfriend.

"Where is she?" she asked softly.

"In the choir room, crying. Brittany's with her." Quinn said. Santana nodded. "S, Rachel's about a month along, right?" she asked.

"Yea..." Santana said.

"And Jesse said that he and Rachel had sex when he transferred back, right?" Quinn asked. Santana nodded her head. "Then even if they had slept together, there's no way he could be the dad. Jesse transferred about a week and a half ago." Quinn said.

"Oh my god. You're right... Hmm... talk to Rachel, punch his freaking face in..." Santana said, pretending to contemplate.

"Go talk to Rachel." Quinn said. Santana grinned and ran back to the choir room. She saw Rachel sitting quietly with Brittany.

"Hey B... can I talk to Rachel?" Santana asked. Rachel looked up at her girlfriend's voice. Brittany nodded and left the room. "Hi." Santana said softly.

"Did you come to break up with me?" Rachel asked.

"Did you cheat on me?" Santana asked.

"No!" Rachel said.

"Then I have no reason to break up with you." Santana said.

"But don't you believe Jesse?" Rachel asked. Santana shook her head and pulled out her iPhone.

"I want to show you something." Santana said. She sat down next to Rachel and pulled up her photos. A picture of Rachel pulled up. "Do you know what this is?" Santana asked. Rachel looked at her strangely.

"It's a picture of me." Rachel said.

"It's a picture of the girl I love more than anything in the world. The girl I'll do anything for, and the girl I'll believe over anyone. Anytime. I don't believe Jesse St. Jackass for two reasons. One, because I love you and I trust you and I know you'd never cheat on me. And two, because it doesn't add up. You're a month along. He transferred back a week and a half ago. He's not the father. Though if he were, at least your kids would have a better chance of being smart." Santana said. Rachel smirked and leaned into Santana. "I love you Tiny." Santana said.

"I love you too Sanny." Rachel said. Santana kissed her girlfriend. "Thanks for believing me." Rachel said.

"I will always believe you. And thanks for agreeing to letting me kill Jesse, Rach." Santana siad.

"I never agreed to that." Rachel said.

"That's not what I'm going to tell him when I'm kicking his ass after I'm done spending time with my girl." Santana said.

"San..."

"Fine... I won't tell him that. But I'm still going to kick his ass." Santana said. Rachel shook her head. Santana stared at her. She had to find a way around that...


	32. Chapter 32

**Don't hate me if the chemical equation later is not actually balanced! You'll understand later.**

* * *

><p>Santana smirked as Puck finally walked into fifth period Chemistry. Rachel sat on the other side of the room, due to seating charts, and Santana sat next to Puck. While that was great when he was actually in class, it sucked when he wasn't. And a lot of the time, he wasn't. Ever since he found out Rachel was pregnant, he had been showing up to class more often than not. It was as if he didn't trust Santana to make sure Rachel didn't do anything unsafe. When he sat down, Santana passed him a note that she had written at the beginning of class. Curious, he opened the note, hiding it in his notebook.<p>

**_Puck- I need a favor. It involves sticking up for Rachel. -S_**

Puck snuck a look at Santana. "_Jesse St. James_" Santana mouthed. Puck narrowed his eyes and quickly wrote a response before passing the piece of paper back to Santana. Hiding it under the table where her book was, Santana read the note.

**_S- What did that Covergirl spokesperson do to Rachel? -Puck_**

Santana chuckled at the Covergirl spokesperson part and wrote a response.

**_Okay, you don't have to go makeup shopping with me anymore, lol. And he said that he and Rachel had sex together right after he transferred here and that he's the father of Rachel's babies. -S_**

Santana watched as Puck smirked at the first part of the note, before frowning at the second part. He quickly scribbled a response and passed it back to her.

**_I'll kill him, though I'm surprised you haven't already. -Puck_**

Santana laughed quietly before writing a response.

**_Rachel made me promise not to hit him... she ddin't say anything about getting you to do it. -S_**

Puck grabbed the note the second her pencil was put down and read it. He smirked at her and wrote back.

**_I like the way you think Lopez. I'm in. -Puck_**

Santana grinned as she read the note and wrote back.

**_Excellent. -S_**

Santana and Puck shared a look in silent agreement. When they were told to do assignments with their lab partners, Santana took that as an opportunity to talk to Puck. When she opened her mouth to speak, the teacher came over. "Mr. Puckerman, you're wanted in Principal Figgins's office... _again_." he said. Puck sighed.

"What'd you do this time?" Santana asked. Puck shrugged.

"No idea. We'll talk later, okay?" Puck said. Santana nodded. She sighed when she realized what Puck leaving meant. She had no partner to help her with the assignment. She raised her hand.

"Yes, Ms. Lopez?" the teacher asked, walking over.

"Mr. Myner, who am I supposed to work on the assignment with now that Pu... I mean _Noah... _since Noah had to go the principal's office?" Santana asked. Mr. Myner looked around. Rachel was sitting at her table alone, working on the assignment.

"Well, since Mr. Bryce is out sick today, Ms. Berry is also without a partner. You two can pair up for the assignment, as I have a feeling Mr. Puckerman will _not_ be returning to class." Mr. Myner said. Santana somehow managed to keep her smile from growing to wide. She looked over as Mr. Myner called Rachel's name. "Ms. Berry?" he said. Rachel looked up.

"Yes, Mr. Myner?" Rachel replied, looking at her girlfriend curiously.

"You and Ms. Lopez are both without partners for this assignment." the teacher said.

"What happened to Noah?" Rachel asked.

"He had to go to see Principal Figgins, leaving Ms. Lopez over here without a partner. Why don't you come over and work with her?" Mr. Myner suggested. Rachel nodded and stood up, gathering her book, notebook, calculator, and pencil. She walked over to her girlfriend's table and sat down in the seat Puck had previously been occupying, spreading out her materials. Santana grinned at Rachel and gently grabbed Rachel's thigh, scooting her chair closer to Rachel's. Rachel pulled away, causing Santana to frown.

"So, we're balancing equations..." Rachel said while reading something in her book. Santana reached over, hooked a finger under Rachel's chin, and gently turned her head so that they were looking at each other. Rachel sighed. "What, S?" she said. Santana frowned again.

"What's wrong?" Santana asked.

"Nothing's wrong. I just want to get this assignment done and I can't do that if you're distracting me." Rachel said.

"You don't want to work with me?" Santana asked.

"Of course I want to work with you. But if we're going to work on the assignment together, I want to actually work on the assignment, which is balancing equations." Rachel said, sending her girlfriend a soft, reassuring smile.

"Baby, I can teach you how to balance equations. Here's one. Me plus you equals... what?" Santana asked, smiling. Rachel rolled her eyes in a playful manner and giggled.

"That's not balancing equations, Sanny. That's addition." Rachel said. Santana smirked.

"And what's the answer?" Santana asked. Rachel smiled.

"An amazing couple." Rachel replied. Santana grinned.

"I also would have accepted an amazingly hot couple." Santana said. Rachel grinned and grabbed Santana's hand. Santana knew that Rachel really wanted to work on the assignment. "So... what can you teach me about balancing equations? I honestly have no idea what's going on right now." Santana said, smiling as Rachel enthusiastically taught Santana everything she already knew. Chemistry came easy to Santana, but Rachel really had to work at it. Sometimes, Santana would act as if she was lost, so that Rachel could feel confident in the fact that she knew what she was talking about. It was exactly the opposite in Algebra II. That was the only class that gave Santana trouble and she spent the majority of her time studying that unless she had a test in another subject. She actually did try in school, she just didn't go broadcasting it. Santana was a straight A student, but Rachel and Quinn were the only two people outside of her family that knew. In Algebra II, Rachel was the one who easily understood it and Santana was the one who had to work her ass off to get it. Once she understood it, she could easily do the equations, but it was the understanding part that got her. Once she understood it, she would enthusiastically teach Rachel a mini math lesson, even though Rachel already understood it. Both girls knew that the other already knew what was going on, but being the good girlfriends that they were, they let each other teach them the subject. Sometimes, Santana would tutor Rachel in Chemistry and Rachel would tutor Santana in Algebra II. That arrangement worked for them... when Santana didn't try to turn it into a make out session.

"So is the answer six hydroxide plus three calcium equals three calcium oxide plus two H2O?" Rachel asked as she finished over the last problem. Santana leaned over and looked at her work.

"Three H2O." Santana admitted. Rachel frowned and checked over her work.

"You're right. Thanks, Sanny. I don't know what I'd do without you." Rachel said, fixing her mistake. Santana noticed she looked upset.

"Hey, it's okay. You'll get it. I can tutor you for the upcoming test if you want." Santana offered. Rachel smiled.

"Thanks, baby, but last time you tutored me before a test, I failed the test due to the fact that we ended up making out." Rachel said. Santana grinned.

"Yea, but see that was the day before the test. The test isn't for four days, so we can have the liberty of taking much needed make out breaks." Santana said. Rachel shook her head.

"No, San." Rachel said.

"I believe that after you failed said test, you came up to me and told me that it was worth it." Santana said. Rachel grinned.

"Did I say that?" Rachel asked innocently. Santana nodded. "Hmm... I don't remember that." Rachel said as the bell rang. She smiled and gathered up her things. Santana did the same and they walked out of the classroom. Santana and Rachel walked down the hall, only to see Jesse pinned to a locker by Puck. "Santana!" Rachel exclaimed. Santana held up her hands in defense.

"Hey, you said that _I_ couldn't hit Jesse. You didn't say _anything_ about Puck. And _I'm _not going to lay a hand on him. I'm just going to scare the crap out of him. Excuse me for a second." Santana said as she walked away from her girlfriend and walked over to the two boys. "So... St. Liar. Admit that you aren't the father of Rachel's babies." Santana said. Jesse shook his head. "The only reason I haven't punched you yet is because I promised my girl I wouldn't. Admit that you and Rachel never had sex!" Santana said. Jesse shook his head again and Puck tightened his grip.

"I'd admit it, because I didn't promise Rachel squat." Puck growled. Jesse swallowed.

"All right! Rachel and I never had sex. I made it up in an attempt to break Rachel and Santana up." Jesse said. Puck looked at Santana.

"May I?" Puck asked. Santana looked at Rachel who sighed her agreement.

"One shot in the gut, Puck." Santana said. Puck nodded and punched Jesse in the stomach. Satisfied, Santana turned around and reclaimed her place at Rachel's side. "Come on, Tiny. We have to get to class." Santana said. Rachel looked at her girlfriend, shook her head, and laughed.

"You, my love, are something else." Rachel said. Santana smiled as they continued their walk to class. That afternoon, after the final bell had rung, Santana made her way from the library, where she had gone to research for her research paper for AP European History to Rachel's locker. Rachel had stayed in the classroom to work on her paper. She arrived and saw Jesse and Finn standing in front of Rachel's locker, arguing. Rachel was desperately trying to break them up, mainly to be able to get to her locker. Suddenly, she felt a pair of strong, but gentle hands pull her back.

"I got this, Tiny." Santana whispered in her ear before stepping around her to get to the arguing guys. "Listen up!" she yelled, no longer using the gentle tone she reserved for Rachel. They turned towards her. "It doesn't matter which one of you loves her more or which one of you is actually the father because Rachel hates both of you. She doesn't want to raise the babies with either of you, so let it go for God's sake!" Santana yelled. Finn and Jesse sighed before turning and walking opposite directions. Santana smiled and moved out of the way so that Rachel could access her locker. "So you want to go out tonight? Like on a legit date? We haven't done that in awhile." Santana asked. Rachel turned toward her and beamed.

"I'd love to Sanny." Rachel said. Santana smiled and waited for Rachel to get her books before they walked to Santana's car and Santana drove Rachel home. "Bye baby. See you tonight." Rachel said, smiling as Santana leaned in to kiss her. "I love you." she breathed.

"I love you too." Santana whispered. Rachel got out of the car and went into her house. Santana smiled as she drove away. When Santana got back to her own house, she found her sister sitting in her room, playing. Smiling, Santana stood in the doorway for a moment before knocking. Mia turned to look in the door and lit up when she saw her sister.

"Tana!" Mia said, jumping off the floor where she had been playing with her dolls and running over to her big sister. Santana swept the girl into her arms for a giant hug.

"Hey Mamma Mia. How was your day?" Santana asked.

"Awesome." Mia said, laughing as Santana tickled her.

"Really? What made it so awesome?" Santana asked, setting the girl down before entering the room and sitting down on the floor in the general area that Mia had previously occupied. Mia ran over and sat in her sister's lap.

"Mommy let me watch TV while she took a nap and I watched one of your shows that was recorded. I got to be like you Tana!" Mia said, obviously proud that she was able to share something with her older sister. Santana, however, froze for a moment. "Tana?" Mia asked, poking her sister. "Are you sleeping?" Mia asked.

"I'm awake. Which one of my shows did you watch?" Santana asked. Mia shrugged.

"Not sure. I think it was called _The Hills_." Santana's eyes widened.

"Next time you want to watch one of my shows, ask me first. Some of that stuff isn't okay for you to watch quite yet, okay?" Santana asked. Mia nodded.

"Okay, Tana. I didn't really like it anyway." Mia admitted. Santana breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good. So what do you want to do? I'm yours for the afternoon until I have to get ready for my date with Rachel tonight." Santana said. Mia beamed.

"Can we play a game?" Mia asked. Santana nodded and went to get a bottle of water first. She saw Kristy in the kitchen.

"You are aware that your daughter spent the afternoon watching _The Hills, _right?" Santana asked her stepmother as she was reading a cookbook. Kristy's head snapped up.

"She watched _what_?" Krsity said.

"She said you let her watch TV while you took a nap and she wanted to be like me, so she watched one of my shows. Unfortunately, the one she picked is all about drinking, partying, and backstabbing your best friend in the back... oh yea, and the fashion industry." Santana said. Kristy rubbed her temples with her fingers. "Don't worry about it. I already told her to ask me next time she wants to watch one of my shows and she admitted that she didn't even like _The Hills_." Santana said. Kristy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, San. I don't know what I'd do without you." Kristy said. Santana grinned.

"That seems to be the catch phrase today." Santana said. Kristy smiled and Mia came running into the room.

"Tana! Come play!" Mia yelled. Santana smiled at Kristy, who looked like she had a headache. Santana squatted down to Mia's level.

"Hey Mamma Mia, it looks like your mom has a headache, so you should try quieting down a little bit, okay?" Santana said gently. Mia nodded and Santana stood up.

"Come play." she whispered, tugging at her sister's hand. Santana nodded and looked at Kristy who mouthed, '_Thank you_.' Santana nodded again before following her sister upstairs. Two hours later, Santana and Mia had played three games of Candyland and were now lying on Mia's bed, where Santana was reading Mia a story. Santana looked at the clock on Mia's bedisde table and noticed that she needed to start getting ready. Just as she was about to say as much to Mia, her phone rang.

**_Don't wanna close my eyes, I don't wanna fall asleep  
>'Cause I'd miss you baby and I don't wanna miss a thing<br>'Cause even when I dream of you the sweetest dream will never do  
>I'd still miss you baby and I don't wanna miss a thing<em>**

Smiling, Santana looked at the Caller ID, even though she didn't need to look to know who was calling her.

**Incoming Call**

**Tiny**

Santana instantly answered. "Hey!" she said excitedly.

"Hey San... what are you doing?" Rachel asked.

"I was hanging out with Mia, but I was about to start getting ready for tonight. We're still on, right?" Santana asked.

"I wanted to talk to you about that. I completely forgot that I'm supposed to go to some dinner banquet thing for my dad's company tonight. I have to take a rain check for the date." Rachel said.

"That's cool." Santana said.

"Sanny, I'm so sorry. I was really looking forward to it." Rachel said.

"Tiny, it's okay. I understand." Santana laughed into the phone. Rachel smiled on her end. "We can totally go out this weekend." Santana continued.

"Thanks for being so understanding, Sanny." Rachel said.

"Of course baby. I'll see you tomorrow." Santana said.

"All right. I love you, Santana." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"I love you too, Rachel." Santana said before haning up the phone. She looked down at Mia. "You get me for a little bit longer." Santana said, smiling at her sister.

Later that night, Santana was sitting in her room. She had already put Mia to sleep and was now sitting on her own bed reading a book for English class. She had just gotten to the good part of the book when her phone went off, signaling a text message from someone other than Rachel. While she had taken the time to assign everyone in her contacts a different ring tone for whenever they called her, she'd been too lazy to assign every single person in her contacts a different ring tone for when they texted her. The only person in her contacts that had a different ring tone than everyone else was Rachel, so she'd know that it simply couldn't be ignored.

**_All I do is win, win, win no matter what  
>I got money on my mind I can never get enough<br>And every time I step up in the building  
>Everybody's hands go up!<br>And they stay there! And they say yeah! And they stay there  
>Up down Up down Up down<br>Cause All I do is win, win, win  
>And if you're going in put your hands in the air, make 'em stay there!<br>_**

**New Message**

**Q**

**Are you and Rachel good after the whole Jesse incident?**

Santana stared at the message in confusion.

**Yea, we're good. Why? -S**

Santana anxiously waited for a reply.

**Because she's at Breadstix with some other girl. And, to quote Puck, she's really freaking hot. -Q**

Santana felt her heart stop as she read the text message.

**Wait, what? There's no way that's true. She's at some dinner with her dads. -S**

'_It has to be a mistake.' _Santana thought as she waited for Quinn to reply.

**S, I'm looking right at her. -Q**

Santana shook her head to herself.

**I need proof, Q. -S**

'_Please don't let this be true.'_ Santana thought.

**I'll send you a picture. You sure you want to see this? -Q**

'_No._' Santana thought.

**Send me the damn picture. -S**

Santana closed her eyes until she heard her phone go off.

**Okay... -Q**

Santana waited for the picture to arrive. When it did, she immediately opened it.

**New Message**

**Q**

**PICTURE ATTACHMENT**

In the picture, Rachel was in a booth at Breadstix, sitting very closely to girl, laughing. A girl who _wasn't_ Santana. Anger boiled inside of Santana. '_Damn. She is hot._' Santana thought.

**What the hell? How could she do that? -S**

Santana was livid.

**S, I'm so sorry. Do you want me to go say something? -Q**

Santana seriously contemplated this for a second, but decided against it.

**No. -S**

'_Well, maybe I should have her do that._' Santana thought.

**Call her. See what's up. -Q**

"Why didn't I think of that?" Santana asked herself out loud.

**Good idea. -S**

Santana dialed Rachel's number and it rang two times before going to voicemail. Santana knew that Rachel's phone generally rang four times before going to voicemail. She recieved a new message.

**New Message **

**Q**

**Please tell me that wasn't you she just rejected. **

Santana sighed as she responded.

**It was me. Text me when she leaves the restaraunt. -S**

'_I should have a plan by then_.' Santana thought.

**...Okay... -Q**

Santana reached over and picked up the framed photo of Rachel that sat on her bedside table. She ran her finger over Rachel's smiling face. "How could you do this to me?" Santana whispered. She stared at the face of her girlfriend until her phone buzzed.

**New Message**

**Q**

**Rachel just left Breadstix. -**

_'It's now or never Lopez.'_ Santana thought as she replied.

**Thanks. -S**

Santana sighed as she thought of a plan.

**What are you going to do? -Q**

Biting her lip, Santana replied.

**Don't exactly know yet. -S**

Santana grabbed her keys and the picture of Rachel that she had printed out before going out to her car. She could feel herself shaking throughout the entire drive and knew that that was probably not the best conditon to be driving in, but she didn't care. She pulled into the Berry's driveway and saw Rachel's car along with another car that Santana didn't recognize, noticing that both of Rachel's dads' cars were missing. She looked up and saw Rachel in her room with another girl. She stalked up to the front door and used the key Rachel had made her to open the locked door. She heard giggling as she entered the house and quietly made her way up the stairs and to her diva's room. Without knocking, Santana entered the room and saw Rachel sitting extremely close to the other girl on her bed. Santana stared at Rachel for a moment before shaking her head.

"Santana... what are you doing here?" Rachel asked. Santana shook her head again before looking at the other girl.

"She's pregnant." Santana said simply.

"I know. I was the first person she told." the girl said. Santana stared at her for a few seconds before looking back at Rachel, scoffing, and turning around to leave.

"San!" Rachel said as Santana closed the door and started to walk down the hall. Rachel opened the door and ran after her girlfriend. "Santana, wait." Rachel said as they reached the stairs. Santana turned around and became eye level with Rachel for the very first time.

"I just came by to say that we're through. The rest was just ad-libbed." Santana said. Rachel shook her head in disbelief.

"Santana, it's not what it looked like... wait... how'd you know I was with someone?" Rachel asked. Santana pulled the folded up picture out of her pocket.

"Q texted me this. She and Puck saw you at Breadstix. How the hell could you do that to me, Rachel? After you fed me all that crap about wanting to have a life together and raise your babies with me? What the hell?" Santana said.

"It wasn't lies, Santana! I do want those things. You're misinterpreting this." Rachel said. The girl who had been with Rachel crept into the hallway.

"Ray?" she said. Santana raised an eyebrow. '_Ray?' _she mouthed. Rachel turned.

"Yea?" she said.

"I'm going to get going." the girl said.

"You don't have to do that." Rachel said.

"I think it's a good idea." Santana said. Rachel glared at her.

"It's okay Ray." the girl said.

"Yea, it's okay Ray." Santana echoed. Rachel shot her a look.

"Santana, shut up for a minute!" Rachel said. She turned her attention back to the other girl. "Only if you're sure." The girl nodded.

"It was great seeing you Ray. You look amazing." the girl said, letting her eyes roam over Rachel's body. Santana literally had to stop herself from bitch slapping her face.

"It was great seeing you too. Call me if you need too, okay?" Rachel said. The girl nodded.

"I definitely will." she said, with a wink.

"Okay, bye." Santana said, glaring at the other girl. Rachel rolled her eyes and hugged the other girl. The girl squeezed back.

"Later, Ray." she whispered before going down the stairs. Santana almost pushed her down the stairs, but decided against it. She didn't speak until she heard the door close.

"Who the hell was that, _Ray_?" Santana asked.

"That was my ex-girlfriend, Summer." Rachel said. Santana was caught off-guard.

"I'm... I'm not your first girlfriend?" Santana asked softly. Rachel shook her head.

"But you're my first love." Rachel said. Santana wanted to give in to that comment like she always did, but she held her ground.

"Well, what the hell was she doing here? And since when do you go by _'Ray_?'" Santana asked.

"Did you think all my exes called me Tiny?" Rachel asked.

"I wasn't aware you had any exes. This is the kind of thing you tell people, Rachel!" Santana said. Rachel stared at her. "Why the hell was she here?" Santana asked.

"She called me earlier this evening asking to meet with me so we could talk." Rachel said.

"So you ditched me for your ex? What the hell is up with that?" Santana asked.

"San, she was crying when she called me." Rachel said.

"She's lucky she wasn't crying when she left." Santana said.

"I didn't do anything wrong. I just helped consol a friend. She's having a hard time coming out to her family." Rachel said.

"I don't care if she's having a hard time coming out to the freaking Pope! She shouldn't be calling my girlfriend!" Santana yelled.

"Santana, you need to trust me. I didn't do anything other than talk to her." Rachel said.

"You seemed pretty cozy when I pulled up." Santana said.

"Nothing happend." Rachel insisted.

"Whether or not something happened is an irrelevant piece of information. I'm still breaking up with you. You lied to me, Rachel. Why weren't you honest with me?" Santana asked.

"Because I thought you'd act like this!" Rachel yelled.

"It's ten times worse now. You lied to me. You've never done that before. I'm sorry, but I can't get past this. Not when the lie was about something important." Santana said. Rachel shook her head.

"Sanny, please don't do this." Rachel said. Santana shook her head and turned to walk down the stairs. She'd made it about halfway down before Rachel spoke.

"I need you, baby. I love you and I need you in my life. We're supposed to have a life together and raise these babies together." Rachel said.

"Speaking of the babies, why the hell did you tell her about your damn pregnancy before you told me?" Santana asked, turning around.

"I didn't. She didn't know anyone else knew. Santana, you were the first person I told." Rachel said.

"Well, whatever. Find someone else to play house with. I'm done." Santana said, turning around.

"Santana!" Rachel cried, reaching out to grab the girl. She pulled her back into a searing kiss. "San... _you're_ the one I love." Rachel whispered against Santana's lips. Santana didn't respond. Rachel literally jumped into the other brunette's arms and Santana had to grab onto the rail to make sure they didn't fall.

"You need to be careful." Santana warned. Rachel ignored and and pushed down until Santana was forced to sit down on the stairs and have Rachel straddle her. "Rachel..." Rachel put a finger to Santana's lips.

"Shh... baby, I can make this all better. I can make you realize that I love _you_." Rachel said.

"Rachel, I'm mad at you." Santana said. Rachel's hope deflated and her body slumped into Santana's, who instinctively wrapped her arms around Rachel. "I love you, but I'm extremely hurt and _extremely_ pissed off at you right now. I don't want to do this right now." Santana said.

"Then don't break up with me. I didn't cheat on you, I swear." Rachel said. Santana looked into Rachel's eyes and knew she was telling the truth. Santana sighed.

"Fine. I won't break up with you. But I'm not going to make out with you right now and I'm sure as hell not talking to you. I need to clear my head." Santana said. Rachel nodded understandingly.


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: I CAN'T HONESTLY SAY THAT ANY MEDICAL INFORMATION IS CORRECT. :)**

* * *

><p>After Santana left Rachel's house that night, Rachel laid on her bed crying. She really hadn't cheated on Santana. Summer had called her asking to talk. She was sobbing and Rachel had had a hard time understanding what she was saying.<p>

_FLASHBACK_

_Rachel in her room trying to pick out an outfit for her date with Santana when her phone rang. She instantly ran over, hoping it was Santana. To say her jaw jaw dropped when she read the Caller ID on her phone was an understatement._

**_Incoming Call_**

**_Summer_**

_Hesitantly, Rachel picked up the phone. "He... hello?" Rachel answered. She heard crying on the other end. "Summer? Are you okay?" Rachel asked._

_"Rachel?" a voice on the other end of the phone said._

_"Summer, what's wrong?" Rachel asked, pausing her motions of looking through her closet. _

_"My parents suspect I'm gay." Summer said. Rachel frowned._

_"But you _are _gay, Summer." Rachel said._

_"Yea, I know. But you know how my parents are." Summer cried._

_"Well, I'm sorry about this, Summer. But... uh... why are you calling _me_ about this? We broke up." Rachel said. '_And I have a girlfriend._' Rachel thought. Rachel switched the phone to her other ear and returned to her task at searching through her closet._

_"I know, but you're the only person I can talk to about this, Ray." Summer said. Rachel's breath caught in her throat. She hadn't been called 'Ray' in a really long time. It felt strange to hear that nickname after she'd grown accustomed to hearing 'Tiny' all the time. She loved that nickname almost as much as she loved the girl who had given it to her on their first date on the last day of their freshman year, other wise known as the first day of their relationship. "Ray?" Summer said. Rachel snapped back to reality._

_"I'm here. Sorry. Uh... what did you want me to do?" Rachel asked._

_"Can we go to dinner? I need to talk to somebody." Summer said. Rachel froze._

_"Well, actually Summer, I kind of have..." Rache said._

_"You know, its cool. I understand." Summer said. Rachel felt bad._

_"No, it's fine. I'll meet you at Breadstix at seven thirty?" Rachel said. _

_"Sure. Seven thirty works." Summer said. _

_"Cool. I'll see you then." Rachel said. Now she just had to figure out what to tell Santana._

_END FLASHBACK_

Rachel looked at the framed picture of Santana that sat on her bedside table. She reached over and picked it up, bringing it around to look at it. "Sanny, I'm so sorry that I hurt you." Rachel whispered, tracing the outline of her girlfriend's smiling face. "I love you... _so_ much." Rachel said a little louder, but still quiet. Tears falling from Rachel's eyes landed on the frame that held Santana's picture.

Meanwhile, across town, Santana was silently freaking out. The only reason she was being quiet was because Mia was down the hall. She believed that Rachel didn't cheat on her, but she knew that Rachel lied to her and she could not handle the awful feeling that it gave her. Rachel had never lied to her before, about anything. When she had left Rachel's house, the girl had still been crying. She had sat with Rachel on her stairs for about forty-five minutes, with Rachel attempting to talk to her and Santana sitting next to her, rigid and closed off. Santana had wanted nothing more than to reach over and hug the girl, kiss her, make the problem go away. But another part of her stopped her from doing just that. Santana sighed as she attempted to fall asleep.

The next day at school, Santana looked over and saw Rachel at her locker. She stared sadly at the girl before turning her attention back to her locker. Quinn and Brittany approached her. "S, Rachel looks like she didn't sleep well last night. Is she feeling okay?" Brittany asked. Santana shrugged.

"As far as I know." Santana answered. Brittany smirked.

"Maybe you should go check on her. I bet one smile from her loving girlfriend would make her feel a _lot_ better." Brittany said. Santana shut her locker.

"You know, I would if we weren't fighting. Then again, if we weren't fighting, Rachel wouldn't look like that." Santana said. Brittany's brow furrowed. Quinn stayed quiet throughout the entire conversation.

"Why are you two fighting?" Brittany asked.

"Some stuff went down last night, B." Santana said.

"How'd it go last night?" Quinn asked.

"I don't think she cheated on me. But she still lied to me, and that's what bothers me the most." Santana said. Quinn nodded.

"Who was that girl she was with?" Quinn asked.

"Her ex-girlfriend." Santana said.

"That was Rachel's ex? She's hot." Quinn said. Santana glared at her. "I mean, I didn't know Rachel dated anyone before you, S." Quinn said. Santana sneered.

"Shut up, Q. And yea. That's her ex." Santana said. The three passed Rachel's locker in the hallway and she turned to look at them. She and Santana briefly made eye contact as Santana approached the other girl. Rachel slightly waved and Santana offered a very small, awkward smile as she continue on her way to class. Rachel bit her lip as she turned to watch her girlfriend's retreating figure. Rachel sighed and followed, seeing as Rachel had the same class as Santana. Rachel stopped when she entered the room. There was only one seat left... next to Santana. Apparently, Rachel hesitated too long, because the voice of her teacher cut into her thoughts.

"Ms. Berry, if you'd be so kind as to take that seat next to Ms. Lopez, that would be much appreciated. I'd like to get started." her teacher said. Rachel looked over to see Santana watching her carefully.

"Yes, Ms. Huntington." Rachel mumbled, making her way to the seat. She avoided Santana's eyes as she sat down. She did her best to keep her eyes forward, but somehow her gaze kept gravitating to her girlfriend. She knew she was lucky that Santana hadn't broken up with her, but she wished that Santana wasn't mad at her. She looked over and saw Santana watching her. "_Hi_." Rachel mouthed. Santana bit her lip and nodded in her direction before looking back at the front of the classroom. Santana used all of her will power to not to just reach over and kiss Rachel. As the bell rang, Santana stood up and picked up her things, walking out of the classroom. Rachel hurried after her. "Santana! Wait up." she called. Santana stopped and turned around.

"What's up Rach?" Santana asked.

"Uh... I wanted to talk to you about my Bad Reputation project. Last week you and Brittany agreed to help me out in be in my video that I'm making. I know now is probably not an ideal time to talk about this, considering everything that happened last night and the fact that we're fighting, but are you still going to be participating? I'd completely understand if you say no, but I just needed to know if I need to ask someone else to play your part." Rachel said.

"Chill, Rachel. Calm down. Yea, I'll still be in your video. I promised you I would, didn't I?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded. "Then why would you think I wouldn't keep that promise?" Santana asked.

"I just thought after last night..." Rachel trailed off.

"I'll help you out. Britts and I'll be there. When do you need us?" Santana asked.

"This afternoon, after school, around four?" Rachel said. Santana nodded. "We'll be there." Santana said, before walking away. Later that day during lunch, Puck walked into the choir room to see Rachel sitting alone in the risers.

"Hey Rachel." Puck said, sitting next to her. She looked up.

"Hi Noah." Rachel said.

"Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something." Puck said. Rachel sighed.

"Noah, I know that you saw me at Breadstix last night. And I know that you and Quinn told Santana, which I get it. I'm not upset. You're her friend and you were trying to do the right thing. I would have done the same thing. However, you must know that I'm not, nor would I _ever _cheat on Santana." Rachel said.

"Rachel, you may be my little hot Jewish American Princess, but Santana's my homegirl. I don't want her to get hurt." Puck said.

"Noah, I'm not cheating on Santana. That girl I was with is just a friend of mine. She was upset and I was letting her have someone to talk to. Nothing happened." Rachel said. Puck sighed and looked at her. "Noah, you have to believe me. I love Santana." Rachel said. Noah nodded.

"Look, I'll believe you. But you need to fix things with S." Puck said.

"I want to. More than anything. I got her to agree to still be in my Bad Reputation video project, so that's something, right?" Rachel said. Puck nodded.

"Hey, you still want me in it?" Puck asked. Rachel nodded and Puck smiled. "Then I'm in. Now come here you little hot Jewish American Princess." Puck said, grabbing her in a hug. That afternoon, Santana and Brittany waited in the choir room for Rachel to show up. A few minutes later, Rachel walked in carrying costumes. She handed Brittany and Santana their costumes and they went to change. When they returned, Rachel couldn't help but think about how good Santana looked.

"Where's Puckerman? Didn't you say he was going to be in it too?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded.

"Noah and I will be filming his scene at a different location." Rachel said. Santana shrugged to say okay.

"Well, we should probably get started." Santana said. Rachel nodded and set up her camera in the hallway.

"Okay so Brittany you're going to stand right here and Santana you'll stand right here." Rachel said, moving them into position. When Rachel was postioning Santana, her hands grabbed Santana's waist. The taller girl held her breath as she felt the familiar touch of her girlfriend. Rachel moved around in front of them. "And you're hands are going to go..." Rachel trailed off grabbing Santana's hands and postioning them. "... like this." she whispered. Santana met Rachel's eyes before quickly looking away as Rachel moved to put Brittany's hands up. She ran behind them. "Okay so you guys are just to walk in front of me." Rachel said. She motioned for the camera guy to start filming and Santana and Brittany started singing. After they finished filming, Santana and Brittany changed out of their costumes and gave them back to Rachel. She gave Santana a small smile before uttering a quiet "Thank you." and leaving the choir room. A few days later, Rachel was presenting her project. She pressed play and the video started playing. Santana wasn't surprised when Puck came on the screen after she and Brittany.

_Daddy please don't, it wasn't his fault  
>He means so much to me<br>Daddy please don't, we're gonna get married  
>Just you wait and see<em>

_Every night the same old dream I hate to close my eyes  
>I can't erase the memory, the sound of Julie's cries<br>She called me up late one night and said "Joe, don't come over.  
>My dad and I just had a fight, and he stormed out the door.<br>I've never seen him act this way. My God, he's going crazy.  
>He said he's gonna make you pay, for what we done.<br>He's got a gun! So, r__un, __Joey run, Joey run!"_

_Daddy please don't, it wasn't his fault  
>He means so much to me<br>Daddy please don't, we're gonna get married  
>Just you wait and see<em>

Santana was highly surprised when Jesse's face appeared on the screen

_Got in my car and drove like mad til I reached Julie's place  
>She ran to me with tear filled eyes and bruises on her face<br>All at once I saw him there, sneaking up behind me (Watch out!)  
>Then Julie yelled, "He's got a gun!"<em>

Suddenly, Finn was on the screen instead of Jesse. Santana looked down at Rachel.

_And she stepped in front of me!  
>Then suddenly a shot rang out, and I saw Julie falling.<br>I ran to her, I held her close.  
>When I looked down, my hands were red.<br>And here's the last words Julie said._

_Daddy please don't, it wasn't his fault  
>He means so much to me<br>Daddy please don't, we're gonna get married_

Suddenly, all three guys were on screen, at different times.

_Run, Joey run, Joey, run Joey, run Joey run, Joey run, Joey run_

Everyone except for Finn, Jesse, Puck, and Santana awkwardly clapped. "What the hell? You never told me Finn and Jesse were in this too!" Puck yelled.

"Puck!" Mr. Schue yelled.

"Rachel, just because we're fighting doesn't mean you can talk to Jesse!" Santana yelled. Rachel looked at her girlfriend as she stormed out of the room. She turned to go after Santana went she felt a pain in her stomach. She grabbed her stomach and doubled over in pain. She fell on the floor and began crying. Mr. Schue, Finn, and Puck ran over to her.

"Rach, are you okay?" Puck asked. Rachel furiously shook her head. "Call 911!" Puck yelled. Mr. Schue quickly pulled out his cell phone and called for an ambulance. "Somebody call Santana!" Puck yelled after a couple of minutes. Quinn pulled out her phone and called Santana. Santana was sitting in her car at a red light just outside the school parking lot when her phone rang.

**Incoming Call**

**Q**

"What Q? Did Rachel ask you to call me?" Santana asked.

"She's not doing much talking right now." Quinn said.

"Huh?" Santana asked.

"She's mostly just screaming right now." Quinn said.

"Quinn, what the hell are you talking about?" Santana yelled.

"Santana, Rachel's in pain. It happened right after you left the choir room. You need to get back here. We called an ambulance." Quinn said.

"Q, I'm in the middle of traffic." Santana said, pausing as she saw an ambulance pass by. "Besides, the ambulance just passed me. There's no way I'd get there before she was already gone. I'll meet you guys there." Santana said.

"Okay." Quinn said.

"Q, can you tell Rach I'll be there and... and can you tell her that I love her?" Santana asked.

"Yea, S. I'll let her know." Quinn said. She hung up. Quinn knelt toward Rachel. "Hey, Rach, Santana wanted me to tell you that she's going to meet us at the hospital and that she loves you." Quinn said. Rachel looked up with pain filled eyes.

"She did?" Rachel managed to get out. Quinn nodded and the paramedics rushed in. About half an hour later, Santana was running into the waiting room of the hospital. She saw the rest of New Directions sitting in the chairs. She immediately ran to her two best friends.

"Q tell me she's okay." Santana said. Quinn pulled her into a hug.

"I don't know, S. She was in a lot of pain." Quinn said. Those words prompted Santana to start sobbing. "S, I'm sure she'll be okay." Quinn said.

"I want to be able to tell her that I'm sorry. I want to be able to tell her that I love her." Santana cried.

"She knows you love her, S. She knows that." Quinn said. Santana saw all of New Directions stand up and turned around to see a doctor in the doorway.

"Are you guys here for Rachel Berry?" he asked. They all nodded. Santana noticed the grim expression.

"What's wrong? Is she all right? Are the babies okay?" Santana asked.

"We were able to save her and two of the babies, but we lost the other two. She suffered a miscarriage. We're fortunate enough to have been able to save the two." the doctor said. Santana cried into Quinn's arms.

"Can I... can I see her? I'm her girlfriend." Santana said. The doctor nodded and Santana looked over to see Finn crying. Tentatively, Santana walked over and hugged him. They openly sobbed together for a few minutes. "She'll be okay, Finn." Santana whispered. Finn nodded.

"Go see her, San." Finn said. Santana nodded and went to follow the doctor. She walked into Rachel's room and saw Rachel lying in the bed. Santana tried to smile.

"Your memory isn't gone again, is it?" Santana tried to joke. Rachel shook her head. "Are you feeling okay, baby?" Santana asked. Rachel shook her head. "Are you going to talk to me?" Santana asked. Rachel bit her lip and Santana went over and sat in a chair. She grabbed Rachel's hand, and almost immediately Rachel started crying.

"Sanny, I was so scared!" Rachel cried. Santana squeezed her hand. "I was so scared and you weren't there." Rachel said.

"I know, Rach. I'm so sorry that I wasn't there. But I'm here now and I'm going to help you." Santana said. The doctor walked in. "Baby, there's something you really need to know." Santana said.

"Are the babies okay?" Rachel asked. Santana looked up the doctor, not knowing how to explain it.

"Rachel, you suffered a miscarriage. It was brought on by stress." the doctor said. Santana looked down with a guilty expression. "Two of your babies survived. However, we were unable to save the other two. I'm so sorry." the doctor said. Rachel started crying and Santana squeezed her hand. The doctor walked out of the room, saying he'd be back soon.

"Rach, I'm so sorry." Santana cried. Rachel pulled Santana up and into her embrace. Santana leaned her forehead on Rachel's and they stayed like that for a bit, just crying.

"Sanny, I'm sorry for everything. I should have told you about Summer." Rachel said. Santana shook her head.

"Don't worry about it. That's forgotten. I almost lost you. I'm not worried about any of that right now." Santana said. Rachel shook her head.

"Santana, you have to know how sorry I am." Rachel said.

"I know you are. It's fine. I love you, Rachel and that's all that matters." Santana said. Rachel nodded and sniffed back more tears.

"I love you too, San." Rachel whispered. Santana almost broke into another sob as she kissed her girlfriend's forehead. Rachel buried her head into Santana's shoulder.

"Do you want to see anyone for New Directions?" Santana whispered. Rachel shook her head.

"I don't want to see anyone but you right now." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"I'll go tell everyone." Santana said. She walked out and addressed the group. "Hey, Rachel's okay, but she doesn't really want to see anyone right now." Santana said. Everyone but Puck, Quinn, and Brittany nodded understandingly.

"Hell no. We're her best friends. We want to see her." Puck said.

"Puck, she doesn't want to see people." Santana said.

"That can't mean us!" Puck exclaimed.

"Puckerman, she just suffered a miscarriage and lost two of the babies she was getting excited about. Have some compassion!" Santana yelled.

"S, how about we wait outside the door and see if she's cool with us." Quinn said. Santana sighed.

"Fine, but if she says no, you quietly walk away." Santana said. She led the group and walked into the room. "Hey, Tiny... um... I told them that you didn't want to see anyone, but the three brats, aka, your best friends refused to take that answer." Santana said.

"Are Puck, Quinn, and Brittany in the hallway?" Rachel asked quietly. Santana nodded and Rachel sighed. "I guess you can bring them in." Rachcel said. Almost immediately, the three were in the room.

"Are you okay Rachel?" Brittany asked quietly.

"I will be, Britt." Rachel said quietly. Santana took her place at Rachel's side and brushed some hair out of her face. Rachel reached up and held onto her hand. Santana quickly wiped away a tear. Quinn walked over and hugged Santana.

"You guys will be okay." Quinn said. Santana nodded and squeezed Rachel's hand. "You guys will be fine. You're strong girls." Quinn said.

"Rachel, I'm going to help you through this." Puck said.

"We all are." Brittany said. Quinn nodded. Rachel looked up at Santana and Santana nodded understandingly.

"Guys, I think Rachel wants to rest now." Santana said. Quinn, Puck, and Brittany nodded and left. Santana never left Rachel's side. Slowly, Rachel let more people into the room. She even allowed Finn to come in and visit. Everyone in New Directions trickled in, with the exception of Jesse. Finn and Puck kept him away. Santana's family came in and visited for a bit. Rachel's dads came in and stayed with her before going to their house to get some of Rachel's things. Around eight that night, there was a knock on the door. Santana and Rachel looked up from each other's eyes and saw Summer standing in the doorway. "What do you want?" Santana asked.

"Ray, I heard about what happened. Are you okay?" Summer asked. Rachel nodded. Summer rushed over and grabbed Rachel's free hand. She glared at Santana. "You know, this is your fault. If you hadn't blown up last night, she wouldn't have felt so stressed." Summer accused. Santana's jaw dropped.

"Maybe if you hadn't called your ex, crying about problems that had nothing to do to her and prompted her to lie to her current girlfriend, she wouldn't have felt so stressed." Santana countered. Summer scoffed.

"The fact that you had spies following your girlfriend is just really sad. You must not love her as much as you say you do if you don't trust her." Summer said. Santana's eyes narrowed.

"I love her more than anything in the world. And I didn't have spies. They're my friends and they were trying to protect me." Santana said. Rachel squeezed Santana's hand.

"Ray, you can't seriously believe her. She obviously doesn't trust you." Summer said. Rachel gasped.

"Get the hell out." Rachel said. Summer's jaw dropped.

"Ray..." Summer said.

"Don't call me that anymore. Actually, don't talk to me anymore. I'm with _Santana _now.I love _Santana. _I never loved you, Summer. Get out." Rachel said. Santana looked at Summer with a smug expression as Rachel pointed to the door. "Please respect me enough to get the hell out of my hospital room and never come back." Rachel said. Summer scoffed and walked out, stopping in the doorway.

"You're going to realize soon that I'm the one for you. Not Santana, not anyone else. Me. And I'll wait for you until that day comes." Summer said.

"No I won't." Rachel said. Summer glared at Santana before walking out of the room. "If I wasn't pregnant and tied to this hospital bed by these stupid IVs." Rachel said. Santana laughed.

"Calm down, Tiny. It's okay. Thanks for that." Santana said. She gently kissed Rachel. "So... I guess the cat's out of the bag about your pregnancy with your dads now, huh?" Santana said. Rachel nodded.

"I was going to tell them as soon as we made up." Rachel said. Santana nodded. "Well, I guess we don't have to deal with that awkward conversation now." Rachel said. Santana smiled softly.

"Sweetie, we're going to have an awkward conversation with them. W ejust won't have to start it with, 'Hey, I'm pregnant.' We can skip that part." Santana said. Rachel nodded and leaned into Santana. "I love you, baby." Santana whispered.

"I love you too." Rachel replied. Santana nodded.

"I know you do. I know you do." Santana said. She saw Rachel's dads in the doorway. "Hey, I'm gonna go to the cafeteria for a bit." Santana said. Rachel looked up and saw her dads. She nodded and Santana kissed Rachel's forehead before smiling at Rachel's dads and walking out.

"So... you're pregnant." Leroy said. Rachel nodded. "Well, know Santana didn't do this, so who's the father?" he asked.

"Finn." Rachel said. Hiram nodded.

"Rachel, we are disappointed in you, but we know that you realize that you made a mistake and we're going to help you and Santana get through this." Hiram said. Rachel nodded.

"Thank you Dad, Daddy. I'm so sorry." Rachel said, tears falling.

"We know, sweetheart." Leroy said, hugging his daughter. After awhile, Rachel's dads went and found Santana in the cafeteria. "Hey sweetie. How are you feeling?" Leroy asked. Santana shrugged.

"I was so scared." Santana whispered.

"We know. We can hardly imagine experiencing it." Hiram said.

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner." Santana said.

"Don't worry about it." Leroy said.

"How would you like to stay with Rachel tonight? We both have to get to work early tomorrow and we know she'll be safe with you." Hiram said.

"We also know that you neither of you will get a wink of sleep. No need for you to do it alone." Leroy said. Santana smiled.

"I'd love to. I'll call my parents and ask." Santana said.

"Already taken care of. You're all set." Hiram said. Santana smiled.

"I wanted to talk to you guys about something. I want to marry Rachel." Santana said. She rushed on at the shocked expressions of the men in front of her. "It has nothing to do with the miscarriage or the fact that she's pregnant. Well, that's why it's happening right now instead of when we're older, but Rachel and I have already said that we want to spend the rest of our lives together, long before we found out about the baby. I mean, I bought her these promise rings and all. I really love her. I figure we're going to be spending most of our time together taking care of the babies. We're going to be around each other a lot and I really like the idea of spending the rst of my life with Rachel." Santana said. Leroy and Hiram shared a look. '_Oh god. They're going to say no.' _Santana thought.

"Yes... well, you can propose to Rachel. Whether or not she says yes is entirely up to her." Hiram said. Leroy nodded.

"Really?" Santana said.

"We know how happy you make Rachel and we've heard her walking around the house when she thinks we aren't home mumbling, 'Santana and Rachel Lopez' and 'Mrs. Santana Lopez.'" Leroy said. Santana laughed. Rachel would assume that Santana would force her to take her last name. I mean, that's how it was going to be. Santana couldn't pull off the last name 'Berry.' Santana _Berry_? Hell no.

"I'm not going to propose to Rachel until she's feeling better. I just wanted your permission first." Santana said.

"Well you have it, sweetie. Why don't you go up to Rachel's room and stay her. We have to get going." Hiram said. Santana nodded and said goodnight before going back up to Rachel's room.

"Hey... your dads are letting me spend the night here tonight. Is that okay with you?" Santana asked. Rachel smiled and nodded.

"Of course it is." Rachel said. Santana nodded and sat next to her. "Thank you for being here." Rachel said.

"Will you marry me?" Santana blurted out. Rachel's eyes widened.

"Wha... what?" Rachel asked. Santana knew she couldn't take it back.

"Will you marry me, Rach?" she whispered.


	34. Chapter 34

"Will you marry me Rach?" Santana asked. Rachel looked at her.

"Sanny..." Rachel said. Santana looked at her nervously. "Why are you doing this to me?" Rachel asked.

"What are you talking about?" Santana asked.

"You're only proposing to me because I'm pregnant." Rachel said. Santana quickly shook her head.

"That's why I'm doing it right _now_. Tiny, I love you. We're meant to be together. Sweetie, we're going to get married eventually. It's inevitable. I want to be with you forever and I want forever to start right now." Santana said.

"Really?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded.

"I had planned on waiting until you were feeling better, but you looked beautiful-" Santana said.

"I'm in a hospital bed." Rachel interrupted.

"You look beautiful." Santana repeated. Rachel rolled her eyes and smiled. "Anyway, you looked beautiful and sweet and I just wanted to be able to hold you forever... so it kinda came out." Santana continued. Rachel smiled softly. "So... I'm going to ask you again." Santana said, pulling the ring she had bought Rachel out of her pocket.

"Where'd you get that?" Rachel asked. Santana grinned.

"Quinn took it when you were in pain so it didn't get lost." Santana said.

"I never even noticed." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"Will you marry me?" Santana whispered. Rachel closed her eyes.

"Yea." she whispered. Santana's eyes widened.

"Yea?" Santana asked. Rachel opened her eyes and smiled.

"Yes." she laughed. Santana broke into a grin. "I'll marry you." Rachel said. Santana leaned over and kissed Rachel. "I love you." Rachel said.

"I love you too, _Mrs. Santana Lopez_." Santana teased.

"You talked to my dads." Rachel said.

"I kinda needed their permission." Santana replied. She put the ring on Rachel's finger. "But you had the right idea, because Santana Berry sounds too damn weird for my taste. Santana Lopez is more badass. Rachel Lopez isn't that bad either. It's actually kinda hot." Santana said.

"I love it. I can't wait." Rachel said.

"We're gonna get married and then we're gonna be together for the rest of our lives. Just you, me, and the two little ones." Santana said.

"Right... we're down to two." Rachel said sadly. Santana felt guilty.

"Baby... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Santana said.

"It's fine. Today can be the best day of my life and the worst day of my life at the same time. But let's not focus on that. We're getting married." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"Yes we are." Santana said.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: SORRY IT'S SO SHORT. I'M REALLY BUSY BUT I WANTED TO GET THIS CHAPTER OUT! I REALLY HOPE YOU LIKED IT!**


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: So, after this chapter, I'm going to jump to after the babies are born, around where Season 2 starts. This chapter will deal with the wedding and the birth of the babies! :)**

* * *

><p>Santana slept in the chair next to Rachel's bed. She woke up when a hand was on her shoulder. She looked up to see Haley, Emma, and Chloe standing next to her. "What are you guys doing here?" she whispered. Haley opened her mouth to speak, but Santana put a finger to her own mouth and motioned for them to go into the hall. "Okay, now what are you guys doing here?" Santana asked quietly.<p>

"We heard about what happened to Rachel. Is she okay?" Chloe whispered. Santana nodded. The three exchanged looks. They were all wondering the exact same thing, but none of them wanted to be the one to ask. After a silent argument, Emma spoke up.

"Did it happen because of..." Emma trailed off. Santana shook her head. All three girls sighed in relief.

"No. She was just really stressed and it got to much. It had nothing to do with that." Santana said.

"S, we really are sorry about what happened." Haley said.

"Yea. I know. You didn't know she was pregnant. I've heard it before." Santana said.

"We still shouldn't have punched Rachel. We did it out of spite. We were jealous that Coach let you rejoin as head cheerleader after you quit to be with Rachel. We shouldn't have done it. It was immature and wrong. We're sorry." Haley continued. Santana nodded. "And Chloe wasn't really involved. We forced her to distract you that day in the hallway. Don't be upset with her. Be mad at us." Haley continued.

"Oh I'm furious with you two. But Chloe, you should have told me what was going on instead of going along with it. You betrayed my trust. And its going to take a long time for you to get it back." Santana said. Chloe nodded and looked down. "Anyway, you guys should get going. Its getting late. Brittany will be running practice if I'm not there tomorrow." Santana said. The three girls nodded and left. Santana sighed and turned around to walk back into the room. Santana was surprised to see Rachel looking at her. "Oh baby, I'm so sorry. Did I wake you up?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded.

"It's okay, though. Who was here?" Rachel asked

"Uh... Haley, Emma, and Chloe." Santana said. Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" she asked. Santana nodded.

"They wanted to see if you were okay." Santana said.

"Wow." Rachel said, not really sure what to make of it.

"Yea... just go back to sleep, okay?" Santana said.

"You too. You have to go to school tomorrow." Rachel said.

"I was actually planning on spending the day here with you." Santana said. Rachel shook her head.

"My dad will be here and then my daddy will come at lunch. I need you to get my assignments for me." Rachel said. Santana frowned.

"I don't want to leave you alone all day. I'll be worrying about you." Santana said.

"I'll be fine, Sanny." Rachel said.

"What if Summer comes back?" Santana asked.

"We're engaged. You have nothing to worry about, love." Rachel said. Santana smiled and kissed Rachel.

"Okay. I'll go to school. Now go back to sleep." Santana said.

"I love you." Rachel said.

"I love you too Tiny." Santana said. Rachel smiled before falling asleep. The next morning, Santana woke up and softly kissed Rachel before leaving to change into a clean Cheerios uniform. She walked into her house to find her dad and Kristy in the kitchen. "Hey. Thanks for letting me stay at the hospital." Santana said.

"Did you get any sleep?" her dad asked.

"Kinda. I woke up every hour on the hour." Santana said.

"How's Rachel?" Kristy asked.

"I think she's feeling better. She was sleeping when I left. She's upset, but that's to be expected." Santana said. Her parents nodded.

"San, her dads called us last night." her dad said.

"They told you I proposed." Santana said. Her parents eyes widened.

"No, they told us she was pregnant. You proposed?" her dad asked.

"Did no one at the hospital tell you that she suffered from a miscarriage?" Santana asked. They shook their heads.

"We didn't want to ask her dads." Kristy said.

"She was pregnant with quadruplets. She lost two of them." Santana explained.

"Who's the father?" her dad asked.

"Hudson. I normally hate the guy, but I feel for him right now. He was pretty upset about the babies. I've never seen him cry, not even that one really big guy sacked him at the beginning of the season because Karofsky missed the block." Santana said.

"I remember. I'm the one who treated him." her dad said. Santana nodded. "And what's this about you proposing to Rachel?" her dad asked.

"Rachel and I have talked about this. She wants to keep the babies and she wants me to raise them with her. And I want to. I want to spend the rest of my life with her and I figure, its going to happen anyway. I love her, Dad. I was going to wait until she was feeling better, but I just couldn't help myself. I kinda blurted it out and she said yes. I've never felt happier." Santana said.

"Okay. You have our permission to marry Rachel. We'll even buy you a condo as your wedding present. When were you thinking about getting married?" Kristy asked.

"We didn't talk about it, but I'm pretty sure she wants to be married before the babies come." Santana said.

"When are they due?" her dad asked.

"Beginning of August." Santana said.

"Well what if you guys got married at the end of the year? Give you guys some time to get things settled before the babies come?" Kristy suggested. Santana nodded.

"Good idea. I'll ask Rachel when I go see her after school and give her the assignments she wanted. Knowing Rachel, she'll probably want to get married on the anniversary of the day we got together. That's the day after school ends, so that might just work." Santana said. Her parents smiled.

"Well, someone is going to have a good day today." Kristy said. Santana smiled and went upstairs to change. She came downstairs with a clean uniform on, her hair rebrushed, and her Cheerios jacket on.

"Hey can you guys write me a note for homework? I didn't get a chance to do any of it." Santana said. Her dad nodded and scribbled a note. Santana grabbed the note and kissed her baby brother Kristy had gone upstairs and brought back. "Hey cutie." Santana said. Dex reached out and grabbed Santana's finger. "Hey watch it." Santana said laughing.

"Tana!" she heard from behind. She smiled and picked up her sister.

"Hey Mia." Santana put her squirming sister down. "Well, I gotta get going. Cheerios practice. Bye." Santana said, grabbing an apple and a bottle of water before leaving the house. She smiled the entire drive to school. That afternoon, she walked into Rachel's hospital room with a smile still on her face. "Hello, my dear. I've brought you the most amazing girl in the world, with a side of homework assignments. Which would you like first?" Santana asked. Rachel looked at her and decided to mess around.

"The assignments." Rachel said. Santana's face instantly dropped and Rachel laughed. "I'm kidding. Come here." Rachel said. Santana smiled and kissed Rachel.

"So did anyone come visit you?" Santana asked.

"Jewfro did." Santana looked at Rachel.

"Ew." she muttered.

"Yea. My thoughts exactly." Rachel said.

"So... my parents are cool with us getting married. They even offered to buy us a condo." Santana said. Rachel squealed. "Yea. What do you think about getting married at the end of the school year? I happen to know a certain important date that falls on the day after school after school ends." Santana said.

"Our anniversary?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded. "That would be amazing, Sanny." Rachel said.

"I know." Santana said, smiling.

"Did you tell anyone?" Rachel asked. Santana shook her head.

"I want to do that together." Santana said. Rachel smiled and nodded. Two days later, Rachel was back at school. When they announced their engagement, Finn was the first to congratulate them, to everyone's surprise. Time seemed to fly as they rehearsed for Regionals. When Vocal Adrenaline was announced the winners, Santana was the first person Rachel would talk to and even that took a few days. Glee Club was over. Santana had to drag Rachel to visit Quinn, who had just given birth to her baby, who she named Beth. "You gonna keep her Q?" Santana asked. Quinn looked at Puck.

"Yea. We're gonna keep her." Quinn said. Santana smiled. A week later, it was announced that the Glee Club was safe for another year. Now all Rachel and Santana had to do was get through finals and then they would be getting married. Finally, it was the day of the wedding. Santana held her breath as she walked down the aisle first and then turned to see Rachel walking toward her. They said their vows and in that moment, Santana knew that this was where she belonged. She leaned down to kiss Rachel.

"I love you, Rachel Berry." Santana said.

"I'm Rachel Lopez." Rachel whispered.

"You'll always be Rachel Berry to me." Santana replied as she kissed her wife now. She grabbed Rachel's left hand and fingered the gold ring that now sat where her promise ring used to be. She grabbed Rachel's right hand and fingered the promise ring.

"Those are the two most important pieces of jewlery that I'll ever own." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"Same here." Santana said, looking at her own rings.

"I love you too, by the way." Rachel said. Santana smiled and they went to the reception. At the middle of July, Rachel was getting nervous, as her due date was approaching. Santana knew this and did everything she could to make her wife calm.

"Baby, you're going to be okay." Santana said. She thought back to the day she had learned Rachel was supposed to be having quadruplets. She allowed herself to be thankful for half of a second that that was no longer the case before chewing herself out in her mind. She vowed never to let Rachel find out that she had thought that for even half of a second, knowing that the girl would kill her.

"You'll be there right?" Rachel asked.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Santana promised. Rachel's face suddenly dropped. "You okay? Tiny? What's wrong?" Santana asked.

"I think its time." Rachel said.

"You're not due for three weeks." Santana said.

"Well, they don't really feel like waiting that long." Rachel yelled. Santana nodded and drove her to the hospital.

"My wife, she's in labor." Santana yelled to the receptionist, who nodded and motioned for a wheelchair. Santana put Rachel down. A little while later, Santana and Rachel had a son and a daughter. "They're so little." Santana whispered. Rachel nodded.

"What are we going to name them?" Rachel asked.

"I was thinking... why don't we name them after our grandparents. We were going to do that when we were having quadruplets. We can still do that with twins. We both have two grandmothers and two grandfathers, so we give the girl our grandmothers' first names and the boy our grandfathers' first names." Santana said.

"That's four names each." Rachel said, laughing quietly. Santana shrugged.

"Everyone knows how indecisive you are, love." Santana teased. Rachel smiled.

"But... what about your mom and Shelby?" Rachel asked.

"I never knew my mom's parents. They died before I was born. As for Shelby, that's entirely up to you." Santana said. Rachel shook her head.

"No. She's not a part of my life." Rachel said. Santana nodded. Soon, Quinn and Puck, along with Brittany and Finn, were in the room. Santana looked up.

"Where's Beth?" Santana asked.

"My mom's watching her." Quinn said.

"Are those the babies?" Finn asked. Rachel nodded.

"Well, Finnocence, you did good. They're beautiful." Santana said. Finn smiled.

"I'd like to be a part of their lives." Finn said. Santana looked at Rachel, who nodded.

"Yea. You can see them. But we have custody of them. I don't want any messy custody battles, so we'll allow you to visit them. But we're the primary parents in their lives." Rachel said. Finn nodded.

"What are their names?" Puck asked.

"Well, we decided to name them after our grandparents, as we were going to do that when we were having quadruplets.." Rachel said.

"Which means, they each have four names." Santana said.

"Wow." was all Quinn said. Rachel smiled and held up their daughter.

"This is Braylan Emmalina Abigail Melinda Lopez." Rachel said. The four smiled. Santana held up their son.

"And _this_ is Thomas Joesph Emmet Miguel Lopez." Santana said. Again, the four teens smiled.

"They're adorable." Quinn said. Rachel and Santana smiled and exchanged a look.

"Puck, Q, will you guys be the godparents?" Santana asked. They smiled and nodded.

"That works out perfectly, since you guys are Beth's godparents." Puck said. They all smiled and Rachel and Santana kissed.


	36. Chapter 36

The day before the first day of their junior year, Santana and Rachel were busy juggling taking care of the twins and getting their own stuff ready. Santana made sure that her Cheerios uniform was washed and hung it up. Rachel made sure that her carefully chosen first day outfit was hung up and ready to be worn the next day. The twins made sure that their parents were stressed. "Okay, I've fed him, burped him, and changed him. What more can he possibly want?" Santana asked as the two sat in the nursery. Rachel looked over and saw Santana holding baby Thomas Joesph Emmet Miguel, who the two had affectionately dubbed TJ. She smiled at her wife and son.

"Maybe he wants his mommy to rock him." Rachel said. Santana looked at Rachel.

"Maybe he wants his mama to shut up and let his mommy be frustrated." Santana teased. Rachel smirked and rolled her eyes before looking at baby Braylan Emmalina Abigail Melinda, who Santana occasionally called 'Beam' due to her initials, to make sure she was okay. Santana sat down in the rocking chair and looked over at Rachel. "Tiny, are you sure you're good to go back to school? It's only been a little over a month since they were born." Santana said. Rachel turned around and smiled at her wife.

"Sanny, its been seven weeks since they were born. Most women only take about six weeks for maternity leave. I'm okay. I'm ready to return to school and return to Glee Club. We really need to focus if we're going to win Nationals. By the way, you're sure Kristy is okay with watching the twins while we're at school, right?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded.

"Since Mia is starting kindergarten this year, all Kristy has to do is watch Dex. She said she needs craziness in her life. And what's more crazy than a one year old and two seven week old babies all under one roof?" Santana asked. Rachel smiled.

"Okay. You know how hesitant I was to ask that of her." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"Yea, I know." Santana looked down and noticed that TJ had fallen asleep. She smiled and put the boy in his crib. It didn't matter that Santana was not actually the twin's biological mother. She loved them as if she had carried them and given birth to them. "Is Bray asleep?" Santana whispered. Rachel nodded. "Okay. Let's go." Santana whispered, quietly shutting the door behind her. Rachel fell onto the couch.

"Tomorrow's going to be a big day." Rachel said.

"Yea, I know. I can't believe Matt transferred." Santana said, sitting next to Rachel.

"Neither can I. I know he never said much, but his dancing was incredible." Rachel said.

"We still have Mike. And Brittany's an amazing dancer." Santana said.

"So are you." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"Thanks, but B's better than me. She's been dancing as long as you've been singing." Santana said.

"I'll have you know that I participated in dance classes as well." Rachel said.

"You did ballet and tap. Britt did hip-hop. Which can you adapt to songs better?" Santana teased. Rachel smirked.

"I see your point." Rachel said. Santana smiled and pulled Rachel's legs so that they were lying across her lap. She sighed thoughtfully as she rubbed her hands up and down Rachel's legs. "What are you thinking about, Sanny?" Rachel asked. Santana smiled softly at Rachel.

"Do you ever wonder if we rushed things with getting married? Don't get me wrong, I totally love it and I love you, but... we were only engaged for about five months. And what if I don't get into any colleges in New York?" Santana asked. Rachel bit her lip.

"Yea, I've thought about it. But honestly, I don't _have_ to go to Julliard." Rachel said. Santana put a hand up to stop her.

"I won't let you go anywhere else. Its always been your dream to go to Julliard." Santana said.

"My dream is to be wherever you are." Rachel said.

"And my dream is for you to fulfill _your _dream of being on Broadway." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"Sanny, you are an amazing student. You can easily get into any college in New York. And with your singing and dancing abilities, you could get into Julliard if you wanted." Rachel said. Santana smiled at her wife.

"I don't want to go to Julliard. I'll leave that one for you." Santana said.

"Where do you want to go?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know... its between NYU and Columbia." Santana said.

"Take me out of the equation." Rachel said. Santana looked at her.

"You'll be the deciding factor." Santana said.

"Sanny." Rachel said.

"UCLA or Texas A&M." Santana admitted.

"Why those two schools?" Rachel asked.

"UCLA is really far away from Lima, but Texas A&M's colors are maroon and white and I look really good in maroon." Santana said. Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"You'd choose a college because of how good you look in its colors?" Rachel asked. Santana smiled.

"Not only that. I love the tradition there. Plus, my dad went to A&M and he loved it. And their winters aren't nearly as bad as an Northern winter." Santana said.

"S?" Rachel said.

"What?" Santana asked.

"You'd come home for winter." Rachel reminded her. Santana thought about that before smilng sheepishly.

"Oh yea. But that doesn't matter. Because I've decided I want to go to NYU or Columbia. Besides Texas and California are really hot." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"You're adorable." Rachel said. Santana smiled and kissed her wife. "We need to get to sleep." Rachel said. Santana looked up at the clock that was in their living room.

"Tiny, it's eight thirty. We just put a couple of seven week old babies to sleep and you want to go to sleep now?" Santana asked. Rachel shrugged.

"What else is there to do? The babies are sleeping and we don't have homework because school hasn't started yet." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"I can think of something." Santana said, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

"Santana Lopez, we are not having sex with our kids in the next room." Rachel said.

"But we haven't done it in a really long time." Santana complained.

"We did it last week when Finn and Kurt were watching the babies for an afternoon." Rachel said.

"But that's seven whole days." Santana argued.

"Santana." Rachel said. Santana sighed.

"Fine. I guess there's always the janitor's closets at school." Santana said.

"San! No." Rachel said.

"Why not?" Santana asked.

"We could get in trouble for that." Rachel said.

"What? We're already married." Santana said.

"No." Rachel said. Santana laughed.

"Fine. Hey did our schedules ever come in?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded.

"They're on the counter. I never got around to opening them." Rachel said. Santana moved Rachel's legs and stood up to walk into the kitchen. She grabbed the two envelopes labelled:

**Santana Lopez  
><strong>**3201 Redding Rd  
><strong>**Lima, OH 54321**

and

**Rachel Lopez  
>3201 Redding Rd<br>Lima, OH 54321**

Santana always smiled when she saw Lopez next to Rachel's name. She walked back to the couch and handed Rachel her schedule. "Here you go, Rachel Lopez." Santana said, smiling over at her wife. Rachel smiled back and opened the envelope. Santana read her schedule.

**Santana Elena Lopez  
>Grade: 11<br>**

**First Period: Choir - Mr. Schuester**

**Second Period: Pre Calculus - Mrs. Ordell**

**Third Period: AP US History- Mr. Ellis**

**LUNCH **

**Fourth Period: Spanish III: Mr. Schuester**

**Fifth Period: Physics - Dr. Nelson**

**Sixth Period: Film Editing - Mr. Olsen**

**Seventh Period: AP Environmental Science - Mr. Jobson**

**Eighth Period: AP English III - Mrs. Wilson**

Santana smiled as she went over her schedule. She had been waiting since Freshman year to take Film Editing. "What's your schedule like?" Santana asked. Rachel handed her the schedule.

**Rachel Barbara Berry Lopez  
>Grade: 11<strong>

**First Period: Choir - Mr. Schuester**

**Second Period: Pre Calculus - Mr. Ordell**

**Third Period: AP US History- Mr. Ellis**

**LUNCH **

**Fourth Period: French III - Mrs. Lasell**

**Fifth Period: Physics - Dr. Nelson**

**Sixth Period: Film Editing - Mr. Olsen**

**Seventh Period: AP Environmental Science - Mr. Jobson**

**Eighth Period: AP English III - Mrs. Wilson**

"How is that we get virtually the same schedule every year?" Santana asked as she smiled at her wife. Rachel shrugged.

"Luck?" she guessed.

"Maybe. Maybe its fate." Santana said. Rachel smiled and stifled a yawn. "Oh wow. You really are tired. Why don't you go to bed." Santana suggested.

"Will you come with me?" Rachel asked.

"But I'm not tired." Santana protested.

"Then you can cuddle with me until you fall asleep." Rachel said. Santana smiled and nodded. The next morning, Santana woke up at six in the morning, before Rachel did. She carefully got out of bed and went into their bathroom to shower. Once she was out of the showere she blow-dried her hair. In the middle of straightening her hair, the door opened. She smiled over as she saw the sleepy figure of her wife walk in to their bathroom.

"Morning beautiful." Santana said. She laughed as she recieved a grunt in response as Rachel set the baby monitor down on the counter so Santana could hear it while Rachel showered. Santana had learned long ago that despite what Rachel said about morning rituals, she was _not_ a morning person. As soon as Santana had finished straightening her hair and unplugged the straightener, she heard crying through the monitor. "Impeccable timing." she muttered as she grabbed the monitor and walked out of the bathroom, through their bedroom and into the hallway to the nursery. She walked over to TJ, the one crying. "Hey buddy." Santana said softly. Santana picked up her son and set him on the changing table. "Amazing how Rachel always seems to be busy when you guys need to be changed." Santana said. She heard soft laughter from behind her. She turned slightly and saw Rachel standing in the doorway with wet hair.

"I'm gonna blow dry it, I just wanted to check on you and make sure you've got this under control." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"Yea. Bray isn't awake yet, but I'm hoping that she waits until I'm done with TJ to wake up." Santana said. Rachel nodded and went back into their bathroom. Santana returned to her task of changing her son. The moment she had set him back in his crib, his sister woke up. Santana smiled over. "You two are on a roll today." Santana said as she picked up her daughter and proceeded to do the exact same thing. Right as she was done changing Braylan, Rachel walked in, completely dressed for school. Santana looked over, eyed her outfit, and raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Rachel asked. Santana hesitated before shaking her head.

"Nothing." Santana said. Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"Santana, I know when you're lying to me." Rachel said. Santana sighed.

"What happened to the new and improved Rachel Berry wardrobe that your dads bought you? You know the one that Q, B, and I helped pick out last week?" Santana asked. Rachel shrugged.

"I wanted to wear this. I thought I looked good." Rachel said.

"You look like Ms. Pillsbury." Santana teased. Rachel glared at her, but the smilng threatening to come out gave her away. "Seriously, Rach, that bow looks big enough to have its own zip code." Santana continued.

"Just go get dressed. We have to drop the twins off at your parents house and something tells me Mia is going to want her big sister Tana to take her to her first day of kindergarten." Rachel said. Santana shook her head.

"Dad always takes us on our very very first day of school. He did it with me, he did it with Isaac, and he'll do it with Dex in the future. And today, he's going to do it with Mia. All the other first days, it didn't matter who took us. I mean, usually it was Dad, but it wasn't as important as that first one, you know?" Santana said. Rachel smiled and nodded. Santana kissed her wife before going to put on her Cheerios uniform. She walked into the bathroom, put her makeup on, and put her hair in a ponytail. When she was done, she checked herself out in the full body mirror Rachel had hung up on one of their walls. '_I may be married, but I'm still the HBIC._' Santana thought as she looked at herself.

"Sanny!" she heard. Santana walked into the nursery.

"What's up?" Santana asked Rachel.

"Can you take Braylan and feed her?" Rachel asked. Rachel had decided not to breastfeed the twins. Santana nodded and accepted her daughter. "Thanks, I'll be in there in a few with TJ. I just want to spend a little time with him. I spent so much time with Bray yesterday." Rachel said. Santana smiled and nodded.

"Come on baby girl. Let's go eat." Santana said as she walked into the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle from the fridge and put it in the bottle heater. Normally when she did this, whichever baby she had at the time went in a high chair, but Santana felt like holding Braylan while the bottle heated. Her back turned to the entrance to the kitchen, she softly rocked back and forth. Braylan tried to eat Santana's Cheerio uniform, as well as she could with no teeth. Santana laughed. "Oh no you don't." Santana said, pulling the girl away from the very expensive uniform. "And don't even think about throwing up on this either. You want to throw up on clothes, do the world a favor and throw up on that outfit Mama's wearing." Santana said. She heard a throat being cleared from behind and turned around. She smiled sheepishly at her wife. "Hey Rach." Santana said. Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"'Hey Rach?' That's all you have to say?" Rachel asked. Santana bit her lip and put Braylan down in her high chair.

"I love you?" Santana tried. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Do you really want me to go change?" Rachel asked.

"Its just that you look really hot in those outfits we bought." Santana said. Rachel sighed.

"Santana, I am a mother." Rachel said.

"You're also a hot sixteen year old. Don't hide that." Santana said. Rachel smiled slight before handing TJ to Santana, who put the boy in his high chair before putting a bottle in the other bottle heater for him. She took the first one out when it was ready and fed Braylan. She turned around when she heard Rachel reenter the room and seriously almsot dropped her daughter. "Holy hell." Santana managed to get out. Rachel smiled and didn't even lecture her about cussing in front of the twins. "You look freaking hot, Tiny." Santana said. Rachel smirked and grabbed the second bottle when it was ready. After both babies were fed and burped, Santana and Rachel got their bags together and put the twins in their carseats in Rachel's Malibu. Santana's Mustang was not exactly baby friendly, so if she had to drive the babies around, she had to drive Rachel's car, meaning Santana had to do something she swore she'd never do the day she got her license. She had to let someone else drive her car. She grabbed the keys from Rachel's outstretched hand. Rachel had no problem letting Santana drive, espesically when the babies were in the car. She was always afraid she'd mess up and hurt them. Santana drove them to her parent's house. When they arrived, they unloaded the babies and walked into the house. "Hey!" Santana called.

"Tana!" Mia yelled, running down the stairs. "I'm going to school today." Mia said. Santana laughed.

"Yea you are. That excitement disappears after awhile, by the way." Santana said, smiling down at her little sister as she walked past to set TJ down. Rachel smiled at Mia as she did the same with Braylan. Santana sat down on the couch and motioned for Mia to join her. "I'm really proud of you." Santana said as her little sister jumped into her lap.

"I'm a big girl, just like you." Mia said. Santana smiled and kissed the top of her sister's head.

"Almost." Santana said. Isaac walked down the stairs. "Hey." Santana said. He nodded in response and stopped in front of the babies.

"Wow. They're getting bigger." Isaac said. Rachel nodded as Isaac walked over and hugged her.

"What about me?" Mia asked. He shook his head.

"You're still short." he teased. Mia pouted and Santana hugged her reassuringly.

"It's okay. Rachel's short too." Santana said.

"Santana!" Rachel said. Santana smiled up at her wife.

"Hey do you need a ride?" Santana asked her brother. Isaac was starting his freshman year. He nodded.

"Yea, I meant to ask you about that. I'm gonna need a ride like every day. I figure you have to come over every morning to bring the twins over and you'll be coming by after school to pick them up, you won't be going out of your way." Isaac said. Santana grinned.

"You're such a freeloader." Santana teased. Isaac shrugged and went into the kitchen to get breakfast. "Hey, we're picking something up on the way." she called out. He instantly returned. "This is a one time thing. Don't think I'm buying you breakfast every freaking morning." Santana said. Rachel smiled as she walked over to make sure the twins were all right. Dr. Lopez rushed down the stairs.

"Hello Rachel." he greeted his daughter in law.

"Hey Dr. Lopez." Rachel said.

"Rachel, how many times do we have to go through this. You're my daughter in law. Call me Max." Dr. Lopez said. Rachel nodded and smiled. Dr. Lopez walked over and kissed his oldest daughter on the head. "Hi _mija_." he said.

"Hi daddy." Santana said. Dr. Lopez smiled down at the twins before looking up at Mia.

"Are you almost ready to go, Mia?" he asked. Mia nodded. "She's been up for three hours." he said to Santana and Rachel. Santana raised an eyebrow.

"It's seven twenty." Santana said.

"I know." he said. Kristy came down the stairs carrying Dex.

"Hey girls. Let me put Dex down and then I'll say hi." Kristy said. She put the boy in his playpen. "Hey." she said, hugging Santana, who was now standing. "Now there's nothing special I need to know with these two right? They aren't allergic to anything?" Kristy asked. Rachel shook her head.

"No. Neither of them are allergic to anything. If you need anything just call me. I'll find a way to get out of class." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"It'll be okay, Rach. Kristy knows how to take care of babies." Santana said. Rachel nodded. "Hey we better get going if we're getting breakfast. Isaac, let's go or you're walking. I don't have all day." Santana said. He nodded and ran upstairs to get his backpack. Santana and Rachel leaned down in front of the twins and said goodbye. Santana hugged Mia goodbye and Mia hugged Rachel goodbye. As soon as Isaac was downstairs, the three were out of the house.

"San, what happened to your Mustang?" Isaac asked from the backseat of the 2010 Malibu.

"I can't hook car seats up in that thing." Santana asked.

"Do you still have it?" he asked.

"Yea, I just can't drive it if the twins are going with us." Santana said. Isaac nodded. The three got their breakfast and headed to the high school. "You know where your locker is, right?" she asked her brother as they got out of the car. He nodded. "Okay. Just text me if you need anything. Oh and if a guy named Jacob Ben-Israel asks you any questions about Rachel and I, don't answer them. Tell me and I'll take care of him." Santana said. He nodded again and they went their separate ways. Santana and Rachel made their way to the choir room. "Now remember what we talked about. We need to open to new members because we need at least one to fill Matt's spot." Santana said, grabbing Rachel's hand. Rachel nodded and they entered the choir room.

"Well if it isn't Mrs. and Mrs. Santana Lopez." Puck said, smiling at the girls. They smiled back at him. "And how are my two favorite godchildren?" he asked.

"How many godchildren do you have, Puck?" Santana teased.

"Two." he said, smirking.

"The twins are fine, Noah. How's Beth?" Rachel asked.

"She's good. She's staying with Quinn's mom during the day." Puck said. Santana started to say something, but Mr. Schue walked in.

"I hope you all had wonderful summers. As you all know, Matt has transferred. If we're going to attract new members, we need to get out there. Let's give them the biggest song of the year. New Directions style." Mr. Schue said. That day at lunch, they all changed out of their normal clothes and got ready for the performance they choreographed. Suddenly, _Empire State of Mind_ was playing on the sound system and the New Directions were singing. Santana made a point to dance with Rachel whenever she could as she sang the chorus. When it was over, they went back into the locker room to change. Rachel immediately jumped into Santana's arms.

"You were amazing, Santana." Rachel said. Santana hugged her.

"So were you. But uh... why the hell are you wearing a skirt? The rest of us are wearing pants." Santana asked.

"I felt like wearing a skirt. Oh. I saw this one girl watching us. I'm gonna talk to her later." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"That's awesome babe." Santana said. That afternoon, Rachel paced worriedly in the choir room. Santana walked in. "I got your text. What's wrong?" Santana asked.

"That new girl, Sunshine? She can sing. Like really sing." Rachel said.

"And the problem with that is...?" Santana asked.

"What if she comes in and takes all the solos?" Rachel asked. Santana stared at her in disbelief.

"Tiny, we want to beat Vocal Adrenaline. If Sunshine can help us do that, then don't you think we should welcome her with open arms?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded.

"I guess you're right." Rachel said. Santana walked over and gave her wife a reassuring hug. If only Santana could tell what Rachel was plotting in her mind.


	37. Chapter 37

After school that day, the Glee Club was sitting in the choir room, waiting... more like _willing_ for someone to enter the room. Puck, Mike, and Finn sat in the far corner discussing football plays. Tina, Mercedes, Kurt, and Artie were discussing some movie no one else had heard of. Brittany, Quinn, and Santana sat in the back row looking at fashion magazines. Mr. Schue sat in his chair looking over sheet music with Brad, the piano player. The band sat around looking over the sheet music Mr. Schue had given them for a group number he wanted to try. Rachel sat in the front row, away from everyone, staring at the door. Santana looked over and saw her wife looking intently at the door. She frowned as she realized that she hadn't heard a single word come out of Rachel's mouth in over an hour and a half. Concerned, she put her magazine down and walked down the risers to reach the front row. She bent down so she could whisper in Rachel's ear. "Staring at the door won't make anyone come, Tiny." Santana said, expecting to see Rachel smile, like she normally did whenever Santana did that. She frowned as Rachel shook her head. "What's the matter?" Santana asked. Again, Rachel shook her head. Santana pulled back and squatted next to Rachel's chair. "Did I do something to upset you?" Santana asked. Rachel's eyes ventured to the clock and she jumped up.

"I hate to break it to you guys, but it doesn't look like anyone will be joining us so I think we should call it a day." Rachel said, grabbing Santana's hand and attempting to drag her out of the choir room. Santana pulled her hand away.

"Hold up, woman. I have to get my bag." Santana said. Rachel sighed.

"Rachel, there's still ten minutes left." Mr. Schue said.

"What about that Sunshine girl? I thought you said she could sing." Mercedes said to Rachel.

"I guess she doesn't want to hang out with us losers." Rachel said, tapping her foot as she waited for Santana.

"Oh my God." Tina and Mike suddenly said in unison. Everyone turned towards them.

"What's wrong?" Mr. Schue asked. Mike glared at Rachel.

"You're a terrible person, Rachel!" Mike yelled.

"Hey!" Santana yelled, stalking over to where Mike was sitting. "Say something like that again, and I'll make sure you can't dance anymore." Santana threatened. Mike looked up at the furious Latina and backed away a little bit in fear.

"Sorry Santana but if you read what I just read, you'd have the same reaction. Well, maybe not exactly the same, but you know what I mean." Mike said. Santana glared at him and held out her hand for the phone that Mike was holding. He handed it to her and she read the screen. Rachel saw the expression on her wife's face darken and she started to slowly back away, but Mercedes's hand on her shoulder stopped her. Slowly, Santana looked up with fury in her eyes.

"What did you do?" she asked Rachel. Rachel looked at her, before looking down in shame.

"What's going on?" Finn asked. Santana looked at Rachel again before reading out loud.

"'New Exchange Student Sunshine Corazon was seen at a crackhouse in Lima Heights Adjacent. When she asked for directions to the Glee Club audtions, her sheet music was stolen and used as toilet paper. When asked why she went to the crackhouse for the auditons, Sunshine told us that she was using the address given to her by Glee Club co-captain Rachel Berry.' That's from Jacob Ben-Israel's blog." Santana said. All eyes turned toward Rachel.

"I'm not Rachel Berry anymore. Someone should really tell Jacob to get his information correct." Rachel said, hoping to distract from the situation.

"Rachel, that's not the point and you know it." Santana said. Rachel quickly closed her mouth. Santana looked back down at the tiny screen. "Oh and here's the last paragraph of the blog. 'When asked how Sunshine was going to handle being in Glee Club with Rachel after this experience, Sunshine announced that she will be transferring to Carmel High effective at the end of the week. Carmel High is home of three time show choir national champions Vocal Adrenaline and are the rivals of McKinley's New Directions.' Great. So now Vocal Adrenaline doesn't even have to _try_ to beat us, because we gave them another amazing singer." Santana said. All the Glee Club members started yelling at Rachel. Santana was angry as well, but she wasn't going to allow that. "Hey. Hey! Hold up! I know you guys are pissed. I get that, so am I. But if you guys think for one second that I'm going to let you yell at my wife like that, then you guys are insane." Santana said. She looked back at Rachel. "Rachel, I think you should go in the hall for a minute." Santana said. Rachel looked at her wife for a moment before nodding and exiting the choir room. She leaned up against the wall until Santana came out.

"What did they say?" Rachel asked.

"Let's just say you're incredibly lucky that I stuck up for you. Otherwise the Glee Club would be marching down to the student store to purchase slushies and give you a code red. They're pissed. And they have the right to be. You just made Vocal Adrenaline _that_ much stronger. They didn't need any help from us." Santana said.

"I didn't do it on purpose." Rachel said. Santana raised an eyebrow.

"So you didn't mean to send her to a crackhouse?" Santana asked.

"No... well, yes I did, but I didn't know that she'd go to Vocal Adrenaline." Rachel said.

"Did you expect her to just stay at McKinley and join Glee Club, but not volunteer for any solos?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded. "Rachel, that's insane. I sure as hell wouldn't stay in a school where someone sent me to a damn crackhouse. I'd get the hell out." Santana said. Rachel looked down in shame. If something like that could send _Santana Lopez _running, then what she'd done was worse than she thought.

"San, I..." Rachel trailed off.

"What you did was really bad Rachel. You put yourself before the team. You were selfish. You can get mad at me for saying it all you want, but we both know that you didn't chase Sunshine off to protect the team dynamic. You did it to protect yourself. With Sunshine, we could have easily taken Nationals." Santana said. Rachel looked up to meet her wife's eyes.

"I'm so sorry." Rachel whispered. Santana nodded.

"Look, I'm beyond pissed at you. And as far as right or wrong, I'm on their side. But when it comes down to it, I'm gonna defend _you_." Santana said. Rachel nodded and stepped a little closer to Santana. Noticing Rachel's hesitation, Santana hugged Rachel and softly kissed her. "But you do need to apologize to them, Rachel." Santana said. Rachel nodded again and allowed Santana to lead her into the choir room. Everyone started yelling the moment they walked in the room. "Hey! Everyone shut the hell up! Rachel has something to say and you are going to listen!" Santana said. She stepped back and let Rachel talk.

"I..." Rachel whispered, trailing off.

"Rach, they can't hear you." Santana said gently. Rachel looked up at her wife with tears in her eyes. Santana gave her a nod of encouragement.

"I'm really sorry for what I did. It was selfish and really mean. I know you guys are mad at me and I understand. But I do hope that, like in a family, you guys can eventually find a way to forgive me. I'll do anything." Rachel said.

"Can you get us a twelfth member who can sing like that?" Mike asked. Santana glared in his direction.

"Watch it, Chang." Santana said warningly. The boy instantly shut up and Santana gave Rachel another encouraging nod.

"I'll do whatever it takes to get us an amazing twelfth member." Rachel said. The ten members in front of her nodded their heads. Mr. Schue stood up.

"Well... I think we can call it a day. Rachel, thank you for apologizing. See you guys tomorrow." he said. Everyone got up and left. Soon, Santana and Rachel were the only two in the room, neither one having moved. Santana frowned as she heard Rachel cry.

"Are you okay?" Santana asked. Rachel shook her head and Santana walked over, pulling her into a hug. "It's okay. They'll forgive you." Santana said.

"But what if you don't?" Rachel asked.

"Did I or did I not just defend you?" Santana asked quietly. Rachel nodded.

"What if I don't forgive myself?" Rachel asked.

"Tiny..."

"No. She could have gotten hurt. That was really stupid of me. I'm such a bitch." Rachel said.

"Stop right there. No you aren't. You are one of the sweetest people I know. You just made a mistake." Santana said. Rachel nodded. "Now, come on. We have to go pick up the two people that can cheer you up faster than I can." Santana said. Rachel nodded.

"I'm sorry, S." Rachel said.

"I know you are, Rach." Santana said.

"I love you." Rachel said.

"I love you too, Rachel. Now come on. Isaac is probably at my car." Santana said. When they reached her car, they noticed Isaac with bruises on his face. "What the hell?" Santana asked.

"A couple of football players said that since they couldn't hit girls, then they'd settle for me." Isaac said. Santana raised an eyebrow.

"This was about Rachel and I being married, wasn't it?" Santana asked. Isaac nodded. "I'm going to kill them." she said.

"Who do you think it was?" Rachel asked.

"Azimio and Karofsky, probably." Santana said.

"San, you can't. They'll just say I need my sister for protection." Isaac said.

"Hell no. This isn't gonna fly. I'm going to talk to them tomorrow. Besides, Karofsky is no place to be judging people, considering what Kurt found out over the summer." Santana said.


	38. Chapter 38

Santana and Rachel walked into their apartment. "Rach, you have to stop beating yourself up over this." Santana said as they set the babies down. Rachel sighed.

"Sanny, Sunshine could have gotten really hurt at that crack house." Rachel said.

"But she didn't." Santana said.

"But she could have!" Rachel argued. Santana pulled her into a hug.

"But she didn't." Santana whispered. Rachel sighed and allowed herself to fall into the embrace. "Tiny, Sunshine is okay. She didn't get hurt. And you and I are going to fix this whole thing. And you _are_ going to apologize to Sunshine tomorrow, right?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded.

"Yea. Will you come with me?" Rachel asked.

"Do you want me to?" Santana responded. Rachel nodded. "Then I'll be there. But you have to do all the talking." Santana said.

"Okay." Rachel whispered.

The next day, when they arrived at school, Santana immediately spotted Sunshine. Gently tugging on Rachel's hand, she pulled her wife in the direction of the other girl. Sunshine looked up when they were standing in front of her. "Uh... hi..." Sunshine said, eyeing Rachel carefully. Santana squeezed Rachel's hand and smiled at Sunshine.

"Hey Sunshine. We never officially met. I'm Santana Lopez, I'm apart of the Glee Club." Santana said. Sunshine nodded, still looking at Rachel. "You already know Rachel. Uh... anyway, she has something she wants to say." Santana said, taking a step back. "Go ahead, Rach." Santana encouraged. Rachel looked at her wife, who nodded.

"I'm really sorry for what I did to you. It was really wrong of me and I'm so incredibly sorry. You could have gotten really hurt. I feel terrible and there's no way I would have been able to forgive myself if something had happened to you. I really hope you can reconsider leaving McKinley and joining Vocal Adrenaline. We'd really love to have you in New Directions. All of us." Rachel said. Sunshine scoffed.

"Even you?" Sunshine asked. Rachel nodded.

"Especially me." Rachel said.

"How do I know you're not just lying so you can set me up for something even worse?" Sunshine asked. Rachel looked at Santana, hurt clearly visible on her face. Santana squeezed her hand again before speaking up.

"Because she's my wife and I can vouch for her." Santana said, glaring at Sunshine, daring the small girl to even think about disagree with her. Sunshine backed away slightly.

"Sunshine, I've never done anything like that before in my life. I'm truly sorry that I did that to you. Can you please give me another chance?" Rachel asked. Sunshine looked at her.

"I can't go to a school where I don't feel safe." Sunshine said. Rachel looked down.

"Listen, Sunshine. She's really sorry. That's not the kind of person she is. She wants to make it up to you. She wants to welcome you into the Glee Club." Santana said. Sunshine shrugged.

"She should have thought of that before she sent me to a crack house." Sunshine said.

"Look, she's trying to fix it." Santana said. Sunshine rolled her eyes.

"Please. She doesn't care about anyone but herself. Rachel is just a selfish, heartless bitch." Sunshine said. Rachel's face dropped.

"No she's not." Santana growled.

"You're right. I forgot gay, pregnant whore." Sunshine said. Santana violently pushed her to the ground.

"Shut the hell up. Don't ever talk about my wife that way." Santana yelled. Rachel reached out.

"San, its okay." Rachel said, trying to wipe away tears with her free hand. Santana turned around.

"Are you crying?" Santana asked softly.

"No." Rachel said.

"Did she..." Santana turned to Sunshine. "You made her cry. Now its really going down." Santana said. She moved toward Sunshine again, but she was pulled back. Suddenly, Mr. Schuester was between her and her target.

"What is going on here?" he yelled.

"She pushed me!" Sunshine said. He turned to Santana and was about to say something when he saw Rachel.

"Rachel, are you crying?" he asked. He'd seen Rachel go through a lot of emotions, but he'd never seen her cry before. Santana put a protective arm around her wife.

"That bitch-"

"Language, Santana." Mr. Schue and Rachel said at the same time. Santana sighed.

"Fine. _Sunshine_ called Rachel a selfish, heartless bitch and a gay, pregnant whore. That's why she's crying and that's why I pushed her. Rachel was just trying to apologize for what happened and Sunshine said that to her." Santana said. Mr. Schue nodded and turned to Sunshine. He offered his hand to help her up. When she was standing, he spoke.

"Sunshine, I don't think there's a place for you in New Directions after all." Mr. Schue said.

"What?" Santana, Rachel, and Sunshine said.

"We're a family. We don't insult each other." Mr. Schue said. Santana and Rachel shared a look, but kept their mouths shut. "I think the rest of New Directions will agree with me when I tell them. Good luck with Vocal Adrenaline. We'll see you at Nationals." Mr. Schue said. He turned to Santana and Rachel. "Come on, girls. Let's get to the choir room for class." he said, smiling at Rachel. The two quickly followed.

"Mr. Schue, why'd you do that?" Santana asked.

"Because its not okay for other people to put anyone in our little family down. We may be a club, but we've become a family even if we aren't actually related to each other." Mr. Schue said.

"Rachel actually is my family and I was kind of looking forward to getting to beat the crap out of Sunshine during the first Glee rehearsal she came to." Santna said. Rachel and Mr. Schue looked at her. "I'm kidding." Santana said.

"No you aren't, and no you wouldn't have, but the thought is sweet." Rachel said, kissing Santana's cheek. Santana instantly smiled.

"Awww... babe you know how I am." Santana said, kissing Rachel softly. Mr. Schue smiled at the interaction.

"See? That's exactly what I'm talking about." Mr. Schue said. At the confused looks on the faces of the two girls in front of him, he continued. "This time last year, you two were afraid to be yourselves in these hallways. You felt forced to hide your relationship. You never would have been caught dead kissing in the hallways out of fear of the repurcussions. Santana, you never would have stuck up for Rachel in front of people. Rachel, you never would have admitted to making a mistake, much less apologize for it. Glee Club has helped you guys realize its okay to be yourselves. Its help you learn that you don't have to hide part of yourself and if someone can't accept who you are, then they aren't worth your time. Over the past year, I've watched all of you kids grow and mature. Especially you two, Puck, and Quinn. I know you had to grow up fast when the babies came, but you four have come so far. Out of the entire Glee Club, I'm most proud of you two and Kurt. You guys have done the unthinkable in Lima. You came out. You two are lucky that you had each other to get through it. Kurt had to go at it alone. But you both had your parents behind you. And I think that all the drama that happened between you two last year made your relationship stronger and all the drama that happened in the Glee Club made our family stronger. Your teammates know things about you that no one else in the school knows. They know who you truly are. They see past all your walls and facades and they like you for being you. _That's_ what Glee is about. Accepting your friends and, more importantly, accepting yourself. And if someone trying to come in is trying to tear that down, they're out." Mr. Schue said. Santana smiled at the man. "Come on. Let's get to class." he said. The two nodded and followed him to the choir room. All of New Directions was already in there. Santana and Rachel went and sat down. "Guys, we need to talk. I told Sunshine she wasn't welcome in New Directions." Mr. Schue said.

"Why'd you do that?" Finn asked.

"Because when Rachel went out of her way to apologize for what she did, Sunshine called Rachel some pretty mean things." Mr. Schue said.

"Worse than being sent to a crack house?" Mike asked.

"She called her-" Santana was cut off by Rachel.

"She called me a selfish, heartless bitch and a gay, pregnant whore." Rachel said quietly. Everyone's jaws dropped.

"What?" Mike said.

"What? No snappy comeback, Chang?" Santana asked.

"Rachel... I'm really sorry." Mike said.

"Its okay, Mike. You didn't do anything." Rachel said.

"I was rude to you. I know you're not actually a mean person. I'm really sorry for what I said." Mike said. Rachel smiled softly, her eyes filled with tears.

"Thank you." Santana whispered, pulling Rachel closer to her. The smaller girl instsinctively buried her head in Santana's neck. "Hey, its okay." Santana whispered in Rachel's ear as the girl cried. Mercedes stood up.

"All right. That's just not okay. I'm about to go have a talk with Little Miss Hater. Who wants in?" Mercedes asked. All of New Directions stood up, with the exception of Santana and Rachel. "Santana, you don't want to come? I'd think you'd be leading this." Mercedes said.

"I would but this is where I need to be right now." Santana said, gesturing to the crying girl in her arms. Mercedes nodded. "Besides, I already pushed her." Santana said.

"That's it?" Puck asked.

"Mr. Schue stepped in." Santana said. Puck nodded.

"Guys, sit down. I don't know what you guys are thinking, but I know its not the answer. Look, we're just going to have to grow stronger from this. We're a family and I know you guys want to stick up for each other, but the best way to get back at Sunshine is to crush Vocal Adrenaline at Regionals. And that's exactly what we're going to do." Mr. Schue said. Everyone sat back down and Santana continued holding Rachel through the remainder of the class.


	39. Chapter 39

By lunch that day, Rachel had barely said two words to anyone. In class, Rachel missed every opportunity to answer a question that the teachers asked and people definitely noticed that. Santana had been very protective all day and when one teacher had the nerve to ask Rachel if she was feeling all right, she hadn't been too kind.

**_FLASHBACK_**

_Rachel and Santana were sitting in their AP US History class. Rachel hadn't opened her mouth since the choir room revealing and Santana was worried about her wife. She scooted her chair closer to Rachel's and grabbed her hand in a comforting manner. The teacher, Mr. Ellis, asked a question and expectantly looked at Rachel. When Rachel didn't even acknowledge him, he walked over to Rachel and Santana's table. When Rachel **still **didn't acknowledge him, he spoke._

_"Rachel, are you feeling all right?" Mr. Ellis asked. Rachel looked up at him and Santana's eyes narrowed at the man._

_"Why do you ask?" Santana asked as calmly as she could._

_"Well, last year Rachel took every opportunity available to speak up." Mr. Ellis said. Rachel looked at Santana before down at her table. Santana looked up angrily. _

_"Look! She's just having a bad day, all right? She's allowed to be upset! Is that okay with you or do you want her to just turn off her feelings whenever she walks into your classroom?" Santana yelled. Mr. Ellis unconciously backed away a step._

_"I'm sorry, Rachel." he said. Santana looked over and noticed her wife staring so intently at her book that she was sure there would be holes burned into soon. Rachel simply nodded and the teacher went on with the lesson. Santana didn't chance a look at Rachel until everyone had gotten over the outburst and returned their attention to the lesson that was being taught at the front of the room. When Santana did look over, she saw Rachel's eyes still fixed on her book. Concerned, she leaned over._

_"Are you okay?" she whispered. Rachel looked over and nodded. "Do you wanna talk about it?" Santana asked. Rachel shook her head. "Oh... okay. Just know I'm here for you, okay?" Santana said. Rachel nodded._

**_END FLASHBACK_**

Rachel sat at their normal table in silence. Every single member of the Glee Club was worried about her, but no one was more concerned than Santana was. Every time Santana - or anyone for that matter - tried to talk to Rachel, she ignored them. The most acknowledgement she gave anyone was nodding or shaking her head. All Santana wanted to do was find Sunshine and beat the crap out of her for taking the smile off of her wife's face. She was planning the best way to do that without anyone finding out when her phone vibrated.

**New Message**

**Mercedes**

**i can tell that u want 2 hunt down sunshine**

Santana looked to make sure Rachel wasn't paying attention before responding.

**Is it tht obvious? -S**

**r u kidding? she actually managed 2 make RACHEL BERRY - i mean 'lopez' :) - stop tlking. thats NOT ok. -M**

**since its u, ill let that 1 slide. ****and ur right. i do want 2 hunt her down. -S**

**glad we bcame friends ovr tha summer, satan. :) -M**

**me 2, weezy. me 2. -S**

**so wat r we gonna do? -M**

**idk... i wuz thinkin i could get britts and q to distract her and then i can go find that bitch. -S**

**u mean WE can go find that bitch. -M**

**u rly want 2? -S**

**hell yea i do. rachel is my homegirl. i dnt like it wen ppl mess wit my homegirls. -M**

**so wen u wnt this thing 2 go down? -M**

**now. i think imma txt q and tell her 2 distract rach and thn u and i r gonna make sum xcuse and leave the caf. -S**

**lets do this thing. -M**

**hells yes, bitch. :) -S**

Santana looked up at Mercedes and smirked. She was really happy Rachel had forced them to hang out with each other over the summer. She and Mercedes had gotten really close. Not as close as Santana was with Brittany or Quinn, but they were still pretty close. She quickly typed out a message to Quinn asking her to distract Rachel with Brittany. and sent a message to Kurt asking him to take Rachel to French class. Santana nodded after she had replies from both people at Mercedes before turning to Rachel. "Hey Tiny. I have to go by the choir room and get something I left before I go to Spanish class. I'll see you in Physics class, okay?" Santana said. Rachel nodded and Santana quickly kissed her before standing up. "Okay. I love you." Santana said.

"I love you too." Rachel whispered. Santana smiled at actually getting a response before frowning at how small Rachel's voice sounded. She had never heard Rachel sound this vulnerable and it only fueled her anger even further.

"Santana, did you say your going to the choir room?" Mercedes asked. Santana nodded. "Hey, I'll tag along. I have to get something from the choir room." Mercedes said.

"Cool." Santana said. No one thought it was weird that the two were walking away together. They had all known that the two had become friends over the summer.

"Where do you think she is?" Mercedes asked. Santana shrugged.

"Let's try her locker." Santana suggested.

"Good idea." Mercedes said. Sure enough, they saw Sunshine at her locker, getting books out of it. Santana started storming over there. Mercedes quickly grabbed her arm. "What, Santana. Maybe we should think about we're going to say to her." Mercedes said. Santana shook her head and tore herself out of Mercedes grip. Whipping around, she zeroed in on her target and stalked over to Sunshine, slamming her locker shut when she got there. Sunshine jumped back at the sound and rolled her eyes when she saw Santana.

"What do you want?" Sunshine asked. Santana took a step closer to Sunshine. When she tried to back away, Mercedes stood on other side.

"Did you _really_ think you were going to get off that easily?" Santana asked.

"Get away with what?" Sunshine asked innocently as she backed up against her locker. Santana hit the area of the locker that was right next to the other girl's head.

"Don't even try to play stupid, bitch. You made my wife cry and that's not really okay with me. See, Rachel and I? We've been through a lot together and I love her more than anything in this world. I want her to always be happy and if there's something that's taking away from her happiness, I'm going to have to take care of it. And this morning, you made Rachel unhappy. Rachel has barely said a word since this morning, and that is _completely_ abnormal. The only time Rachel is quiet for this long is when she's sleeping. And if Rachel's unhappy, then that means I'm going to be pissed off. And my kids shouldn't have to deal with a pissed off Santana until they've earned and frankly they're not old enough to have pissed me off yet." Santana said. Sunshine attempted to back up farther, but she couldn't.

"What does she have to do with this?" Sunshine asked, looking at Mercedes.

"Rachel's my homegirl and I don't like it when she's upset. Now, I'm definitely going to let Santana get the first shot, but I won't hesitate to jump in when she wants a break." Mercedes said.

"And I don't plan on taking a break for awhile if I start in on that beatdown." Santana said. Sunshine swallowed.

"I'm not scared, Santana." Sunshine said.

"Really? Because you should be. I'm extremely protective of my family. And Rachel is my family. And if you _ever_ make her cry again or if you ever say something that insults her again, I won't hesitate." Santana said. Sunshine rolled her eyes again.

"You wouldn't." Sunshine said.

"Do you even know who I am? I'm the head cheerleader. I own this school. I'm the Head Bitch In Charge. You're just a bitch. A self-centered, homophobic bitch." Santana said. Sunshine opened her mouth to respond, but a voice from behind cut her off.

"Sanny, what are you doing?" Rachel asked. Santana turned around and saw Kurt and Rachel looking at them.

"Hey... what's up?" Santana asked innocently asked. Rachel looked at her and took in the image of her wife and Mercedes cornering Sunshine against her locker, with Santana in her face.

"What's going on?" Rachel asked.

"I'm just putting Sunshine in her place." Santana said.

"I thought you were going to the choir room." Rachel said. Santana looked down.

"I may or may not have lied." Santana said. She looked at her position and then backed away. Slowly, she walked over to Rachel. "Are you mad at me?" Santana asked. Rachel shrugged. "Tiny..." Santana said. Rachel looked up. "Remember how when my mom showed up and got all homophobic on us and said that she wouldn't accept me as her daughter because I was gay? And remember how you took me to my house and then went to talk to my mom about it? When I confronted you about it, you said that you were angry at her for hurting me and that you wanted to be able to defend me when someone else hurts me. Well, that's exactly what I want to do for you." Santana said.

"You're always defending me. I know that you want to." Rachel whispered.

"No one has ever hurt you this badly before. I was angry with Jesse and Finn, but the moment I saw you, I got over it because I knew that it hadn't bothered you that badly. This time, you can't convince me of that. I haven't been able to think of anything but making her regret saying that all day. I'm not letting this go, Rachel." Santana said. Rachel sighed, kissed Santana, and walked away. Santana grinned and turned back to Sunshine and Mercedes. "Where were we?" Santana asked. Mercedes let Sunshine go.

"Look, Santana if you do this, you might regret it." Sunshine said.

"Yea... I doubt it." Santana said. Sunshine suddenly punched Santana in the gut and pushed her to the ground. Before Santana could get up, Sunshine kicked her in the stomach. Hearing Santana scream, Rachel turned back around. Seeing her wife on the ground, she sprinted back to where she just was.

"San, are you okay?" Rachel asked. Santana tried to stand up, but couldn't. Suddenly, Rachel was lying next to her as Sunshine kicked Rachel repeatedly. Mercedes started to jump in, but Santana found the strength to get up and tackled the girl off of Rachel. Mercedes and Kurt ran to Rachel to make sure she was okay. The only thing Rachel could concentrate on was her wife. Taking advantage of Santana's weakened condition, Sunshine flipped them over and started repeatedly punching Santana. Kurt and Mercedes held Rachel back as she cried. Santana tried to push Sunshine off of her, but she had very little strength left. She put up as much of a fight as she could, but she was hoping that Sunshine didn't knock her unconcious.

"What is going on here?" they heard. Everyone but Sunshine and Rachel turned to see who was yelling. Pushing through the crowd was the new football coach, Coach Beiste. She ran over and pulled Sunshine, who was still punching the weak Latina, off of Santana. Ms. Pillsbury pushed through the other side of the crowd and ran over to Santana. Once Sunshine was away from Santana, Kurt and Mercedes allowed Rachel to run over.

"Sanny... Sanny, I'm so sorry. I'm _so_ sorry." Rachel said.

"Its okay." Santana managed to get out. Rachel shook her head.

"This is my fault." Rachel whispered.

"No. Its not. I'm proud to get beat up for you." Santana said.

"Rachel, we need to get Santana turned to the nurse." Ms. Pillsbury said. Rachel nodded and followed. When they were in the nurse's office, Rachel hung back.

"Tiny..." Santana whispered. Rachel looked up. "Come here." Santana said. Rachel walked over.

"What's up, Sanny?" Rachel asked.

"I meant what I said. I'm proud to get beat up for defending your honor." Santana said. Rachel nodded. "I love you so much... I don't even care if I just let a girl shorter than you beat the crap out of me." Santana said.

"I love you too, Santana. I'm so sorry for this." Rachel said.

"Rach, shut up. I don't care about it. But its not over between me and that bitch though. Im going to kick her ass for hurting you." Santana said.


	40. Chapter 40

Santana and Rachel walked into their condo. "Thanks for convincing your dads to take TJ and Bray tonight. I want all of your attention tonight. I know that sounds selfish, but I want to be selfish tonight." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"It was nothing, baby. My dads have been wanting to spend some time with the twins and you need to rest tonight. And having two babies around isn't resting." Rachel answered, pushing Santana into the living room while she went into the kitchen and got two bottles of water. "So... how are you feeling?" Rachel asked.

"Better. I swear, the second it doesn't hurt to throw a punch, that bitch is fucking dead. And don't give me a lecture about cussing because the twins aren't here and I feel like doing whatever the hell I want tonight." Santana said. Rachel leaned close and put her forehead on Santana's.

"Its okay... for tonight." Rachel said.

"Good. Thank you." Santana said.

"But I don't want anymore fighting because of me." Rachel said.

"Oh, its not for you anymore. Nobody, and I mean _no one_ hits Santana Lopez and gets away with it." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"Baby, you're insane. You can't retaliate like that. She's leaving at the end of the week." Rachel said.

"All the more reason to do it tomorrow. I don't really feel like having to drive to Carmel High to kick her ass." Santana said. Rachel started to speak, but Santana's phone rang.

**Incoming Call**

**Quinn**

"Hello?" Santana answered.

"_San_? _Are you okay_?" Quinn asked.

"Yea, Q. I'm fine." Santana said.

"_Guess what_? _Sunshine got expelled for hitting you_. _Figgins didn't even believe her when she said that you and Mercedes approached her first. Even after Mercedes told him what Sunshine said to Rachel. I mean, that would have given you motive to approach her first."_ Quinn said.

"They expelled her? But she's transferring at the end of the week!" Santana exclaimed.

"Sunshine got expelled?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded.

_"Yea... that's going to go on her record. She might not even get to join Vocal Adrenaline."_ Quinn said.

"Oh my god. That's... freaking amazing!" Santana said.

_"I know right? We got her back without disobeying Mr. Schue. He's not going to get mad at you for defending your wife, especially considering what she did."_ Quinn said.

"Yea... suddenly getting beat up by that short bitch isn't so bad. I'll talk to you later, Q." Santana said, hanging up the phone.

"I thought you said you were proud to get beat up for me." Rachel said.

"Oh, I am." Santana said, smiling.

"She got _expelled_? San!" Rachel exclaiemd.

"What? Its not my fault that bitch flipped out and hit me. She got what she deserved." Santana said. Rachel shrugged.

"I can't believe she got expelled." Rachel said.

"And just think. If I'd hit her, that could be me... looks like I lucked out." Santana said.

"No more fights. You're not getting expelled, Santana." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"I promise. No more fights... on school grounds." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"Did you see the poster for the Celibacy Club?" Rachel asked. Santana laughed.

"Yea... there is no way I'm joining that again." Santana said.

"Me either." Rachel said

_FLASHBACK_

_Santana sat on the tops of one of the tables in the room that they used for the Celibacy Club. She was talking to Brittany when suddenly all the Cheerios stopped talking. Looking up to see what was going on, she saw Rachel in the doorway. Raising an eyebrow, Santana allowed Quinn to speak. "What are you doing here Man Hands?" Quinn asked._

_"I've come to join the Celibacy Club. Is that okay?" Rachel asked. Quinn sighed and walked to her chair. All the Cheerios followed her to the other side of the room and Rachel sat away from the Cheerios. Sitting down, Santana smirked at Rachel, but then turned her gaze to Quinn, who was calling the meeting to order._

_"Thanks to a school rule who says we have to let anyone join the club, we're welcoming a new member this week. Rachel What's Her Name." Quinn said. Santana mentally rolled her eyes._

_'It's Berry, you bitch.' Santana thought. _

_"Where are all the boys?" Rachel asked. Santana raised an eyebrow. _

_'You don't need the boys, babe.' Santana said with her eyes. Rachel bit her lip and looked down._

_"Down the hall. First half hour we separate, then we come together to share our faith." Quinn said. When it seemed Rachel was done asking questions, the Cheerios began talking about their uniforms. While Santana was twirling around in her Cheerios uniform, Rachel tried to look annoyed, but Santana could see past the fake irritation._

_"God bless the perv that invented these." Quinn said. Rachel had to force herself not to nod in agreement. "Remember the power motto, ladies." Quinn said._

_"Its all about the teasing, and not about the pleasing." the Cheerios recited in unison. Rachel almost laughed at the irony. It was either a well known fact or a very convincing rumor that most of the Cheerios were not virgins and Rachel definitely knew that Santana wasn't one, considering what the two had been doing since their one month anniversary. After the first half hour was over, the boys filed in. Quinn blew up balloons and handed them out to all the pairs. Santana sent Rachel a subtle, yet apologetic look as she went to stand next to Puck and Jacob shuggled over to Rachel._

_"Now remember. If the balloon pops, the noise make the angels cry." Quinn said. All the boys awkwardly shuffled toward the girls._

_"You enchant me." Jacob said. Rachel gagged and looked over at Santana, where she was desparately trying to stop Puck from grinding into her._

_"Stop it!" Santana said. Rachel almost snapped, when a loud noise filled the air._

_"Finn!" Quinn yelled._

_"It must have hit my zipper." Finn said._

_"This is dumb. Its been proven that celibacy doesn't work. The moment we tell ourselves we can't, we act out. That's what contraception is for!" Rachel said._

_'Damn. Look at my girl go.' Santana thought._

_"Don't you dare mention the 'C' word." Quinn said._

_"Want to know a dirty little secret that none of them want you to know? Girls want sex just as much as guys do." Rachel said, storming out._

_'I certainly want sex with her.' Santana thought. Jacob looked at the girls._

_"Is that accurate?" he asked. Santana rolled her eyes and walked out when Quinn dismissed them. She immediately drove to Rachel's house after she saw Rachel's car wasn't in the parking lot._

_"Rachel Berry, you were incredibly hot in Celibacy Club." Santana said. Rachel smiled. _

_"I almost snapped when Puckerman was grinding into you. Even if there was a balloon in between you two." Rachel said. Santana smiled._

_"I would have felt the same if it'd been anyone other than Jew Fro." Santana said. Rachel chuckled._

_"What are you talking about? I enchant him, Sanny." Rachel said._

_"Would you feel the same way about that sentence if I told you that you enchant me?" Santana asked. Rachel grinned._

_"Definitely. By the way, if the first half of those meetings are always like that, I'll be there every single time." Rachel said._

_"Well then, I might have to do that more often." Santana said, collapsing on the bed and pulling Rachel closer to her._

_"Yea... and watching you act all virginal and innocent was kind of endearing." Rachel said._

_"Really now?" Santana said. Rachel nodded. "Well then how about you rob me of my innocence?" Santana said. Rachel smiled._

_"Love to." Rachel whispered, kissing Santana._

_"So uh... Why'd you decide to join the Celibacy Club?" Santana asked as she was pulled on top of Rachel._

_"To be closer to Finn." Rachel answered. Santana pulled away. "And you... but you wanted me to break them up, right?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded._

_"Yea... I just wish that I'd been your first answer." Santana said as she rolled over and faced the wall._

_"Sanny, you told me not to join Celibacy Club. You said it'd be too hard to keep a straight face." Rachel said. _

_"Right..." Santana said. Rachel frowned at the hurt that was visible on Santana's face._

_"Baby... I'm sorry." Rachel said. She rolled over and stroked Santana's hair. "Sanny?" _

_"Tiny, I'm fine." Santana said. Rachel leaned over and started kissing her girlfriend's neck. "Tiny..." Santana attempted to protest, but Rachel kept kissing her. "Tiny... Rachel... Rach- Mmm..." Santana was cut off by Rachel kissing her. Santana rolled over, effectively pulling Rachel on top of her._

_"Let's forget about Finn." Rachel whispered, kissing Santana's neck._

_"Finn who?" Santana asked, pulling Rachel back up to kiss her again._

_END FLASHBACK_

"Yea... the one meeting you went to was memorable, but not exactly good advertisement for the Celibacy Club. Especially considering a certain Glee Club performance that came out of it." Santana said.

"Hey, it got you to join Glee Club." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"Yea, it did." Santana said. Rachel laughed. "I love you, Tiny." Santana whispered.

"I love you too, Sanny." Rachel said, placing a soft kiss on her wife. "Thank you for joining Glee Club." Rachel said. Santana grinned.

"Thanks for joining Celibacy Club, even if it was just for one meeting." Santana said. Rachel laughed and went to get Santana some ice for her face. "You want to order in?" Santana asked.

"Can I cook for you?" Rachel asked.

"Hell no." Santana said. Rachel frowned. "Baby, you almost burnt my dad's house down one time!" Santana said, laughing. Rachel shrugged.

"That wasn't my fault. I think that oven was defective." Rachel said.

"Yea... because you set it on fire!" Santana said.

"I apologized, didn't I?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded.

"Yea... and your dads had to buy my parents a new stove." Santana said.

"Fine. We'll order in." Rachel said.

"Thank you." Santana said. Rachel huffed. "I love you!" Santana called as Rachel went into their bathroom, laughing at the '_Yea, whatever._' she got in response. "She knows she can't live without me." she said to herself. She heard a soft laugh as arms came around her from behind.

"No, I can't." Rachel whispered, kissing her wife.


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N: For some reason, this seemed like a good idea. I was rereading the previous chapters and Santana getting beat up by _Sunshine_ just didn't seem... well, possible... so I did this. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Santana and Rachel were asleep in their bed when suddenly, Santana woke up screaming. Rachel shot up. "What? What's wrong? Santana, be quiet, you'll wake up the twins." Rachel said. Santana quited down, but the look of fear didn't leave her face. Rachel scooted over from her side of the bed to her wife's side. "Baby, what happened?" Rachel whispered, rubbing Santana's back.<p>

"Bad dream. Awful dream." Santana said, leaning into Rachel. The diva bit her lip. "I... I confronted Sunshine with Mercedes about what she did to you and she beat me up." Santana said. Rachel hid her smile, but couldn't hide the laughter.

"Its not funny!" Santana whispered. "I'm Santana Lopez. I don't get beat up, especially not by people who are even shorter than my midget wife!" Rachel glared at her.

"I'm ignoring that... for now." Rachel said. Santana smiled sheepishly.

"You know I love your shortness." Santana said. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Mmhmm. Anyway, you _did_ confront Sunshine with Mercedes and it _did_ get physical, but I can assure you that you did all of the hitting." Rachel said.

_FLASHBACK_

_**New Message**_

_**Mercedes**_

_**i can tell that u want 2 hunt down sunshine**_

_Santana looked to make sure Rachel wasn't paying attention before responding._

_**Is it tht obvious? -S**_

_**r u kidding? she actually managed 2 make RACHEL BERRY - i mean 'lopez' :) - stop tlking. thats NOT ok. -M**_

_**since its u, ill let that 1 slide. ****and ur right. i do want 2 hunt her down. -S**_

_**glad we bcame friends ovr tha summer, satan. :) -M**_

_**me 2, weezy. me 2. -S**_

_**so wat r we gonna do? -M**_

_**idk... i wuz thinkin i could get britts and q to distract her and then i can go find that bitch. -S**_

_**u mean WE can go find that bitch. -M**_

_**u rly want 2? -S**_

_**hell yea i do. rachel is my homegirl. i dnt like it wen ppl mess wit my homegirls. -M**_

_**so wen u wnt this thing 2 go down? -M**_

_**now. i think imma txt q and tell her 2 distract rach and thn u and i r gonna make sum xcuse and leave the caf. -S**_

_**lets do this thing. -M**_

_**hells yes, bitch. :) -S**_

_Santana looked up at Mercedes and smirked. She was really happy Rachel had forced them to hang out with each other over the summer. She and Mercedes had gotten really close. Not as close as Santana was with Brittany or Quinn, but they were still pretty close. She quickly typed out a message to Quinn asking her to distract Rachel with Brittany. and sent a message to Kurt asking him to take Rachel to French class. Santana nodded after she had replies from both people at Mercedes before turning to Rachel. "Hey Tiny. I have to go by the choir room and get something I left before I go to Spanish class. I'll see you in Physics class, okay?" Santana said. Rachel nodded and Santana quickly kissed her before standing up. "Okay. I love you." Santana said._

_"I love you too." Rachel whispered. Santana smiled at actually getting a response before frowning at how small Rachel's voice sounded. She had never heard Rachel sound this vulnerable and it only fueled her anger even further._

_"Santana, did you say your going to the choir room?" Mercedes asked. Santana nodded. "Hey, I'll tag along. I have to get something from the choir room." Mercedes said._

_"Cool." Santana said. No one thought it was weird that the two were walking away together. They had all known that the two had become friends over the summer._

_"Where do you think she is?" Mercedes asked. Santana shrugged._

_"Let's try her locker." Santana suggested._

_"Good idea." Mercedes said. Sure enough, they saw Sunshine at her locker, getting books out of it. Santana started storming over there. Mercedes quickly grabbed her arm. "What, Santana. Maybe we should think about we're going to say to her." Mercedes said. Santana shook her head and tore herself out of Mercedes grip. Whipping around, she zeroed in on her target and stalked over to Sunshine, slamming her locker shut when she got there. Sunshine jumped back at the sound and rolled her eyes when she saw Santana._

_"What do you want?" Sunshine asked. Santana took a step closer to Sunshine. When she tried to back away, Mercedes stood on other side._

_"Did you really think you were going to get off that easily?" Santana asked._

_"Get away with what?" Sunshine asked innocently as she backed up against her locker. Santana hit the area of the locker that was right next to the other girl's head._

_"Don't even try to play stupid, bitch. You made my wife cry and that's not really okay with me. See, Rachel and I? We've been through a lot together and I love her more than anything in this world. I want her to always be happy and if there's something that's taking away from her happiness, I'm going to have to take care of it. And this morning, you made Rachel unhappy. Rachel has barely said a word since this morning, and that is completely abnormal. The only time Rachel is quiet for this long is when she's sleeping. And if Rachel's unhappy, then that means I'm going to be pissed off. And my kids shouldn't have to deal with a pissed off Santana until they've earned it and frankly they're not old enough to have pissed me off yet." Santana said. Sunshine attempted to back up farther, but she couldn't._

_"What does she have to do with this?" Sunshine asked, looking at Mercedes._

_"Rachel's my homegirl and I don't like it when she's upset. Now, I'm definitely going to let Santana get the first shot, but I won't hesitate to jump in when she wants a break." Mercedes said._

_"And I don't plan on taking a break for awhile if I start in on that beatdown." Santana said. Sunshine swallowed._

_"I'm not scared, Santana." Sunshine said._

_"Really? Because you should be. I'm extremely protective of my family. And Rachel is my family. And if you ever make her cry again or if you ever say something that insults her again, I won't hesitate." Santana said. Sunshine rolled her eyes again._

_"You wouldn't." Sunshine said._

_"Do you even know who I am? I'm the head cheerleader. I own this school. I'm the Head Bitch In Charge. You're just a bitch. A self-centered, homophobic bitch." Santana said. Sunshine opened her mouth to respond, but a voice from behind cut her off._

_"Sanny, what are you doing?" Rachel asked. Santana turned around and saw Kurt and Rachel looking at them._

_"Hey... what's up?" Santana asked innocently asked. Rachel looked at her and took in the image of her wife and Mercedes cornering Sunshine against her locker, with Santana in her face._

_"What's going on?" Rachel asked._

_"I'm just putting Sunshine in her place." Santana said._

_"I thought you were going to the choir room." Rachel said. Santana looked down._

_"I may or may not have lied." Santana said. She looked at her position and then backed away. Slowly, she walked over to Rachel. "Are you mad at me?" Santana asked. Rachel shrugged. "Tiny..." Santana said. Rachel looked up. "Remember how when my mom showed up and got all homophobic on us and said that she wouldn't accept me as her daughter because I was gay? And remember how you took me to my house and then went to talk to my mom about it? When I confronted you about it, you said that you were angry at her for hurting me and that you wanted to be able to defend me when someone else hurts me. Well, that's exactly what I want to do for you." Santana said._

_"You're always defending me. I know that you want to." Rachel whispered._

_"No one has ever hurt you this badly before. I was angry with Jesse and Finn, but the moment I saw you, I got over it because I knew that it hadn't bothered you that badly. This time, you can't convince me of that. I haven't been able to think of anything but making her regret saying that all day. I'm not letting this go, Rachel." Santana said. Rachel sighed, kissed Santana, and walked away. Santana grinned and turned back to Sunshine and Mercedes. "Where were we?" Santana asked. Mercedes let Sunshine go._

_"Look, Santana if you do this, you might regret it." Sunshine said._

_"Yea... I doubt it." Santana said. Without warning, she punched Sunshine in the gut before for pushing her to the ground. She got in a few good punches before she was pulled off by Mercedes. "Weezy, what the hell?" she yelled. _

_"Coach Sylvester is coming." Mercedes said._

_"What's going on here?" Coach Sylvester said, seeing her head cheerleader, Mercedes, and Sunshine. "You three, Figgins' office. Now." she said. Santana started to walk by. "S. Motivation." she ordered._

_"She insulted my family. She said some really mean things about Rachel that I'd rather not repeat unless absoultuely necessary." Santana explained. Sue nodded. _

_"I'll see what I can do. Diva is probably going to have to be there." Coach Sylvester said. Rachel walked up behind her._

_"San, you are one lucky girl." she said. Santana raised an eyebrow. "You know you'd be screwed if Coach Sylvester wasn't on your side." Rachel said. Santana smiled._

_"But she is, Rach. She is. That's the beauty of being married to the head cheerleader. No one can mess with you. Hell, that's the beauty of _being_ head cheerleader." Santana said. Rachel rolled her eyes. "I did it because I love you babe." Santana said. Rachel met her eyes._

_"I know." she said, kissing Santana._

_END FLASHBACK_

Santana sighed in relief. "Thank God... wait. In my dream, Sunshine got expelled... did... I'm still in school, right?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded.

"Every single witness that Principal Figgins called in overheard what she said to me. He ruled it justifiable. It also helped your case that Coach Sylvester doesn't want to lose her head cheerleader again. Sanny, don't ever do that again. Eventually, our parents aren't going to help us pay the rent, our insurance, our bills, for groceries, and for gas. Kristy won't watch the twins all day and we're going to have to pay for a babysitter." Rachel said. Santana nodded. "I"m serious, S. I need to be able to support my children-"

"I thought you said they were _our_ kids." Santana whispered. Rachel gently placed a hand on her wife's cheek.

"I'm sorry. That slipped out. With the exception of the biological sense, you are just as much their mother as I am. When it comes to them, the only difference between you and I is that I gave birth to them. Other than that we're exactly the same. And that's the first time I have ever said that. I've never even consider myself to be more of their mother than you." Rachel said. Santana nodded, leaning into her wife's touch.

"Tiny, its okay. I've just never heard them referred to as _your_ kids. By anyone. Everyone's always called them _our_ kids. It was just a weird feeling, that's all." Santana said. Rachel frowned.

"I never want you to feel that way again." she whispered.

"Baby, its fine. They _are_ more your kids than mine."

"_No._ They are _our _children. We've raised them since the day they were born. You helped me through my pregnancy. You were in the room when they were born. We're _married_. You're their mother too." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"Thank you." she whispered. Rachel nodded. "Anyway, you were saying..."

"Right. We need to be able to support our kids and in order to do that, we both need to go to college and be able to get good jobs. You can't get into college if you get expelled." Rachel said. Santana giggled.

"Okay. I won't get expelled. Maybe suspended, but..." she laughed when Rachel hit her arm. "I'm kidding. Okay. I won't get into anymore fights... I won't _start_ anymore fights." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"That's all I ask." Rachel said, kissing Santana. "I love you." she whispered. Santana grinned.

"I love you too, Tiny." she said, kissing her wife.

"But you still have to figure out what to do about Azimio and David bullying Isaac. Preferably without violence, because I think you'd lose that fight. They'd just have to sit on you and they'd win." Rachel said.

"Yea... I'm working on it. Karofsky and Azimio are _not_ getting away with that." she said. Rachel looked down. "Hey... what's wrong?" Santana asked, running a finger lightly over her wife's cheek.

"I feel sort of guilty." Rachel whispered. Santana closed her eyes. "They even said that it was because we're married." Rachel said.

"Rach, don't feel guilty. Isaac doesn't blame you. He doesn't blame either of us. We're happy and we can't let Azimio and Karofsky, otherwise known as the poster boys for the sterotypical Lima citizen, get in the way of that. And if Karofsky touches you, there'll be hell to pay."

"Sanny, I said no violence."

"Who said anything about violence? I'll just kindly let the school in on a little secret that little David's been keeping." Santana said. Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"What do you know?" she asked. Santana grinned evilly.

"You can't tell anyone." she said. Rachel nodded. "Karofsky's gay." she whispered, as if someone was lurking outside their bedroom window.

"What?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded. "Santana, you can't out him. That would be wrong." Rachel said.

"No. What's wrong is beating up my brother because I'm gay when the person beating him up is gay too. Actually, that's just wrong in general. Karofsky has bullied Kurt because he's gay. He bullies Kurt's friend at Dalton, Blaine and he doesn't even know him. He's messed with you because of it, he's said shit to me about it and its done. If he lays a hand on you, its over for him." Santana said.

"Santana, you can't."

"Why the hell not?" Santana asked, getting frustrated.

"Because... when my fathers first came out in Lima when they were in high school, it wasn't by choice. My dad had been sort of casually dating this other guy along with my daddy and when he chose Daddy, the other guy got jealous and outted them the very next day. He was a jock, so of course no one believed my dads when they said that he'd been seeing Dad. The football and hockey teams beat them up pretty bad. You can't just out David. Even if he _is_ at the top, you know how Azimio can be. You don't know what his reaction will be." Rachel said. Santana sighed.

"You know how I get when you're in trouble. I don't really think about what I'm doing, my instinct is to protect you. And if I have to blurt out his secret to get his hands off of you, then I'll do it."

"Honestly, I think that would put me in more danger." Rachel said. Santana sighed. "Maybe... maybe we could have David over and talk to him about it." Rachel said. Santana raised an eyebrow.

"And show him where we live? Are you crazy? No way. Especially not with the twins here." Santana said.

"You don't... he wouldn't go after TJ and Braylan would he?" Rachel asked. Santana shook her head.

"Karofsky's a jackass, but he wouldn't go that far. Neither would Azimio. I've seen them with Azimio's seven year old sister. They're actually pretty good with her. But if Karofsky's in our condo and is having to listen to little Miss Ray of Sunshine, Happy-Go-Lucky, Let's All Hold Hands And Sing Around the Campfire telling him how to deal with being gay, he just might lose it." Santana said. Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"'Let's All Hold Hands And Sing Around The Campfire?'" Rachel asked. Santana smirked.

"You know I love you." Santana said. Simultaneously, they heard the doorbell ring and one of the babies crying. "You get the kid, I'll get the door." Santana said. Rachel looked at the clock.

"It's 12:30 in the morning. Who the hell could that be?" she said. Santana shrugged before getting out of bed, walking to the door and opening it.

"Oh my god." she said. Rachel frowned, picked up a crying Braylan, and walked into the hallway,gasping as she saw who was at their door.

"David?"


	42. Chapter 42

"Karofsky, what are you doing here?" Santana asked. She turned around and shared a look with Rachel. "Tiny, maybe you should take Bray in the other room." Santana said.

"Wait, no. Its okay. I would never hurt a kid, especially not a baby. I'm sorry, I don't know why I came here." Karofsky said. Santana nodded.

"So... you're leaving then?" Santana asked.

"Sanny!" Rachel chastised. Santana turned around. "Be nice."

"Seriously? He beat up my brother, he's slushied all of us... he's slushied _you_ and you want me to be nice to him?" Santana said.

"Rachel, I understand where Santana is coming from. But Santana, I'd really like to talk to you guys." Karofsky said. Santana turned around to look at the boy. She suddenly noticed that Rachel had gotten Braylan to stop crying.

"Come in David." Rachel said. Santana turned around again with a look of disbelief on her face. "S, let him in." Santana shook her head. "San... Sanny... _Santana_." Rachel hissed. Santana sighed.

"Fine, but you sit in a chair and touch _nothing_." Santana gave in. Karofsky nodded and entered the apartment. "I hate you." she hissed as she past Rachel. Her wife rolled her eyes.

"I love you too, sweetie." Rachel whispered, moving to sit down on the couch next to Santana and across from Karofsky. "So, David... what did you want to talk about?" Rachel asked. Santana looked over at Karofsky as Braylan grabbed her finger.

"Ow..." she muttered, taking her finger back. The girl had surprisingly strong grip and immediately reached for Santana. "Sorry... yea, what do want, Karofsky?" Santana asked, taking the girl from Rachel and setting her in her lap and gently stroking the girl's head.

"Um... Look, Santana, I'm sorry for what happened to your brother, but I had nothing to do with that. That was all Azimio and it wasn't cool." Karofsky said.

"And you couldn't have stopped him?"

"I wasn't there or I would have." he said.

"Why?" Santana asked.

"Because your brother didnt do anything to Azimio and neither did you two." he replied. Rachel nodded.

"Thank you for that, David, but... couldn't that have waited until tomorrow instead of in the middle of the night?" Rachel asked. Karofsky shook his head.

"There's something else." Santana said, shifting Braylan in her lap so that Santana was sitting Indian-style.

"My dad kicked me out earlier." he admitted. Santana and Rachel looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Why?" Santana asked.

"Because I'm gay..." he trailed off, looking at Braylan. Santana followed his gaze.

"She's two months old. She can't understand a word you're saying." Santana said. Karosky nodded

"Right. Anyway, he found out. He saw some pamphlets Ms. Pillsbury gave me and completely flipped his shit." Karofsky said.

"Uh... David? Just because they can't understand you doesn't mean we want our children to be exposed to that type of language." Rachel said.

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I get that lecture almost daily." Santana said. Rachel rolled his eyes. "So... why did you come here? Neither of us were kicked out by our parents." Santana asked.

"Because I thought you guys would understand better than Azimio would." Karofsky explained.

"Do you need a place to stay for tonight?" Rachel asked. Santana quickly looked over.

"Tiny... where exactly would he sleep? The nursery? Our room?" Santana asked. Rachel shook her head.

"The couch folds out into a bed, Sanny." Rachel said. Santana raised an eyebrow.

"It does? Are you sure?" she asked. Rachel nodded.

"We picked it out together. Your exact words were, 'Get a fold out couch, Rachel. Fights are bound to go down between us.' Don't you remember?" Rachel asked. Santana smiled sheepishly. "Wow... anyway, you're welcome to stay here tonight David. Just don't be too loud and wake up the babies." Rachel said. Santana nodded and looked down at the now sleeping Braylan.

"I'm gonna go put her back to bed. You get him some sheets and stuff, Rach." Santana said, kissing her wife before taking their daughter into the nursery. "There you go baby." she whispered, gently setting the small girl in her crib before going to check on her brother. She smiled at the sleeping figure of her son. "Love you guys." she whispered before closing the door behind her. She turned around to find Rachel right behind her. "Good God, Tiny." she laughed. Rachel smiled and leaned up to kiss her gently.

"I love you." she whispered. Santana smiled.

"I love you too. Karofsky all settled?" she asked. Rachel nodded.

"If its okay with you, I'm going back to bed. Can you get me a bottle of water, please?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded.

"Of course, love. Be in there in a sec." Santana said, walking through the living room to the adjoing kitchen. "Alright, Karofsky. Out with it. I want details." Santana said, leaning up against the counter.

"I don't know what you're talking about." he said.

"Just remember that you're in _my_ apartment. You came to me." Santana said.

_FLASHBACK_

_"Dave?" Karofsky heard from his room. Paul Karofsky came up the stairs and into his son's bedroom._

_"Hey Dad. What's up?" Karofsky asked. _

_"Nothing. Just surprised to see you home. You're usually hanging out with Azimio." Paul said. Karofsky shrugged. Paul looked over and saw some pamphlets on his son's desk. "What are these?" he asked. Karofsky's eyes widened._

_"They're nothing, Dad. Don't worry about it." he said._

_"David... are you gay?" his dad asked. _

_"What? No!" Karofsky denied. His dad held up the pamphlets, which all had to do with accepting one's own sexuality. _

_"David."_

_"Yes. I'm gay, Dad." Karofsky said. His dad nodded._

_"Get out." he said._

_"But Dad-"_

_"Now David!" he yelled. Karofsky nodded and grabbed enough stuff for a night and left._

_END FLASHBACK_

"Why'd you keep them?" she asked.

"I don't know. It was stupid." he said. Santana nodded and grabbed three water bottles, tossing one to Karofsky. "Thanks." he said.

"No problem. Night." she said.

"Good night, Santana. And thanks." he said. She smiled softly and went into the bedroom.

"Here you go, baby." she whispered, handing Rachel a water bottle. The diva smiled up at Santana as the Latina got into bed.

"Thanks... I'm really glad that the only parent we had problems with was your mom." Rachel said, taking a drink from the bottle. Santana raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" she asked, sipping her own water.

"Because we didn't have to deal with getting kicked out. But you know that if your Dad and Kristy had kicked you out you could have lived with me." Rachel said.

"And if your dads were total hypocrites - which they aren't - and had kicked you out, you could have lived with me." Santana replied. Rachel smiled and curled up next to her wife.

"I love you with everything that I am, Santana Lopez." Rachel said. Santana grinned.

"And I love you more than anything in the world, Rachel Lopez." she whispered.

"Even more than Breadstix?"

"Even more than Breadstix."


	43. Chapter 43

Santana woke up the next morning with her arms around Rachel. Literally two minutes after the taller brunette opened her eyes, she heard crying. "Ugh... Rach, its your turn." she groaned, gently shaking the diva.

"No way. I went last time." Rachel mumbled. Santana groaned again. "_But_ since my Cheerio wife needs to be in top shape for practice, I'll go. You're lucky I love you." Rachel said, kissing Santana and getting up. She exited the room to see Karofsky in his pajamas folding up the sheets. "Good morning David." she said softly, waving as she entered the nursery. She walked over to TJ. "Hey baby boy..." she cooed as she picked the boy up and changing him. "And Mommy said I always find a way to be busy when you guys need to be changed." Rachel said. She turned around when she heard a laugh.

"Sorry for watching... I just wanted to see what it looked like in here." Karofsky said. Rachel smiled. "You guys seem pretty under control... I'd be a wreck." he continued.

"Things were a little hectic at first, but... we had to grow up pretty fast... it really helps to have Santana here with me." Rachel said.

"Yea but... even you guys hadn't gotten married, you would have been living with your dads, right? Wouldn't that have been easier?" he asked.

"In terms of having people to help me out, yes. But I think things are the way they're supposed to be. I dont know what I would have done if she hadn't been there for me during the pregnancy." Rachel said.

"I really admire you guys. You've had no problem putting your relationship out there. Its like 'H_ere's how it is. You don't have to like it, but it won't change anything.'_ I wish that I could do that. Just be myself. I can't even tell my best friend who I really am." Karofsky said. Rachel smiled sadly.

"David, maybe Azimio will be okay about it." Rachel said. Karofsky shook his head.

"No... he's pretty honest about how he feels about you two." he said. Rachel nodded.

"Well, you know him better than I do..." she said. He smiled sadly and went to go change. Santana walked in the nursery in her pajamas. "You know, I got up first so you could get ready and get to practice, not so you could lounge around while I do all the work." Rachel teased. Santana shrugged sleepily and went to Braylan.

"You had a late night, baby girl." she whispered, smiling. Rachel set TJ back in his crib and reached for her daughter.

"Go get ready. I don't need Sue Sylvester breathing down my throat because you're late. I'll get them to your Dad's house." Rachel said.

"No way. We're going together. I'll go get ready. You change them and then get ready. I'll feed them when I'm done. This is exactly why we started showering at night." Santana said. Rachel smiled and nodded as Santana left the room. She was ready in fifteen minutes and walked into the hallway to find that both bottles were being warmed up and Karofsky was entertaining the babies.

"Rachel asked me to watch them while the bottles warmed up. I was kinda hoping you'd be out here when they were done because I have no idea what to do after that." he said. Santana smiled and grabbed a bottle, which was now warm. She picked up Braylan.

"Pick up TJ and then grab the other bottle. Just do what I do." she said, feeding the girl. Karofsky watched before feeding the boy. Santana smiled at the sight of Dave Karofsky feeding a baby. Rachel paused in the doorway, amazed at the sight.

"Hey Rachel." Karofsky said.

"So, David, where are you staying tonight?" Rachel asked. He shrugged.

"I have no idea. I'll figure it out."

"You can stay here." Santana said, to everyone's surprise.

"I can't impose."

"What's a few nights?" Rachel asked. Karofsky smiled. "Look, we'll give you a few days to get used to what happened last night and then you and I can go talk to my dads. They can help you out, too." Rachel said. Karofsky nodded.

"I'd like that." he said, handing Rachel the boy. "I should get going. I'm supposed to make up a quiz I missed because of football. I guess I'll see you guys later." he said, smiling as he walked out of the apartment.

"That went surprisingly easy." Santana commented, finishing what she was doing. Rachel nodded.

"Yea... it did." she said. When they got to school that day, Santana went to practice. She found Rachel and walked her to class after practice ended, though Santana immediately spotted Azimio and left Rachel to confront him.

"Yo! Azimio!" Santana said.

"What's your problem, Lopez? I didn't touch your girl."

"No, but you hit my brother because of Rachel and I. That's my problem. He didn't do anything to you. You got a problem with Rachel and I, you take a swing at me and nobody else." Santana said. Azimio rolled his eyes. "I'm not playing. Don't mess with my family. That includes Rachel."

"Whatever, he was weak, just like his gay sister and her wife." Santana growled and moved to push the large boy, but was pulled back.

"Z, shut the hell up. Santana and Rachel didn't do anything to you." Karofsky said.

"Karofsky, what are you doing?" Azimio asked.

"Standing up for what's right. Let them be who they are. This whole school would be so much better if you just shut up once in a while." he replied.

"What? Next you gonna tell me that you're gay too?" Azimio asked, laughing. Santana held her breath.

"Yea... I am. And if anyone has a problem with it, then I'd be happy to show that my sexuality doesn't change the fact that I'm still Karofsky and I can still kick your ass!" he yelled. Santana's jaw dropped in amazement. Azimio just stood there before walking away in shock.

"You do realize what you just did, right?" Santana asked. Karofsky nodded.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I think I should be asking you that." she replied. He laughed.

"I'm good. I think I'm gonna take Rachel up on that offer to talk to her dads in a couple of days." he said.

"That'd be really good for you. They helped me come out to my dad and stepmom and they were both really great about it. Maybe your dad will come around." Santana said.

"Yea maybe... what about your mom?"

"She's a bitch." Santana said, shrugging it off. She smiled and walked back to Rachel.

"That was amazing." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"I think we just made a good friend, Tiny. I told you talking to Karofsky was a good idea." Santana said.

"Okay first, no you didn't. You said it was a terrible idea. Second, he came to us. And third, you didn't talk to him about it. You threatened him before teaching him how to feed our son. I did all the important talking." Rachel said. Santana shrugged.

"Whatever... I opened the door. That has to have some metaphorical meaning." Santana said. Rachel rolled her eyes and laughed.

"You're insane, but okay. We'll go with that." she said.

"You love my insanity." Santana said, kissing the girl.

"I love _you_." Rachel clarified.


	44. Chapter 44

**A/N: I'm very aware of who actually wrote the songs that I use in the upcoming chapters, but please humor me. (This'll make more sense when you read the chapter). This chapter is meant to explore the deeper side of Santana**

**Don't own Glee or any songs I use (though I did change the lyrics to a couple of songs so that they'd fit Santana's character)**

* * *

><p>Over the next two weeks, Rachel and Santana had introduced Karofsky to Rachel's dads. They were really great about letting the boy in and Karofsky was now staying in the Berry family guest room, though he spent most afternoons at the Lopez family apartment. Rachel and the twins didn't mind and Santana was growing to like having the boy around. He was great with the babies and really funny. Santana was sitting in Glee one day, waiting for Rachel to show up and smiled as she thought of their unique friendship with the boy. She raised an eyebrow as Mercedes walked in with sticks in her hair. "What the hell happened to you?" she asked.<p>

"This? That's nothing. You should see Rachel." Mercedes said. Santana raised both eyebrows and sat up straight.

"Weezy, you best tell me what happened." Santana said. Rachel appeared in the doorway. "Why the fuck are you covered in dirt?" Santana exclaimed as she ran over.

"Coach Sylvester somehow got into my locker and filled it with dirt. When Mercedes tried to help me, Coach Sylvester threw sticks at her." Rachel said.

"Coach Sylvester did this to you?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded and Santana's eyes suddenly lit up with inspiration. "Weezy, can you help her get cleaned up?" the Latina asked.

"Where are you going?" Rachel asked.

"I'll see you at home. I have to go. I love you." Santana said, kissing her wife's cheek.

"But San-"

"Don't forget to remind Finn that the twins are staying with him tonight and he needs to pick them up from my dad's house." Santana said, leaving the room and running to her car. She and Rachel had come separately due to conflicting before school schedules, so she hopped in her Mustang and drove to their apartment. Running into their bedroom, she opened the drawer on her bedside table and pulled out a black leather bound notebook, lightly running a finger over gold engraving:

**_Santana Elena Lopez_**

It was a present from her father.

_FLASHBACK_

_"Mija, come here. I want to give you something." Max said, walking into his daughter's room. Fourteen year old Santana got off of her bed walked over to her dad. "You know how you were saying that you wanted to join Glee Club, but you were too afraid because it wasn't cool, even though the girl you like is in it?" he asked. Santana nodded. _

_"Yea. Rachel." she said absently, wondering what he was getting at. Smiling, he handed her a black leather bound notebook that was personalized with her name. _

_"I want you to always follow your dreams. Since you won't express your feelings in Glee Club, maybe you can put them into your own music and even catch the attention of this Rachel." he said, with a wink. Speechless, Santana gently ran a finger over the engraving._

_"Wow... thanks Daddy." she said. _

_"What are you going to write about first?" he asked. She looked over at the picture of her and her mom and sighed._

_"I know just the thing, Daddy." she whispered. He smiled sadly and nodded as he left the room. Grabbing a pencil, Santana grabbed another blank notebook and got to writing. She wasn't going to put it in the leather notebook until it was perfect._

_END FLASHBACK_

Smiling, Santana pulled out the other notebook, a red spiral bound notebook that she had labeled in thick black sharpie :

**_Santana's Drafts_**

She wanted to tell Rachel, but she wasn't so sure how the diva would take to this news.

_FLASHBACK_

_"Sanny, do you think we should do originals songs at Regionals this year?" Rachel asked. Santana looked up quickly._

_"Why do you ask?" Rachel gave her a weird look._

_"No reason, I've just been practicing my songwriting..." Rachel said. Santana breathed a sigh of relief and nodded._

_"Sure. I think that's a great idea." she said._

_END FLASHBACK_

Throwing open the spiral, she turned to her latest song. She'd gotten almost everything written, but there were a couple of parts that she couldn't quite get, but seeing Mercedes and Rachel had given her the inspiration she needed. She felt bad about leaving Rachel covered in dirt, but she had to get it down before she forgot it. No one knew that she wrote music, not even Rachel.

"Santana Elena Lopez!" Speaking of Rachel...

Quickly writing down the last of the lyrics, Santana closed the spiral and put both notebooks back in her drawer. She could copy the lyrics down in the leather notebook later. She was just happy that they were perfect. "I'm in the bedroom." she called out. Rachel walked in and saw her wife standing protectively in front of her drawer.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Santana shrugged innocently.

"Nothing. I see you got all of the dirt off of you." she said.

"No thanks to you." Rachel muttered.

"I'm sorry, Tiny. I just had something to do." Santana apologized. Rachel raised an eyebrow. "I'll make it up to you. Since we don't have the kids tonight, I'll wait on you hand and foot. I'll take a quick shower and then I'm yours for the night. I'll even go pick up dinner." Santana said. Rachel smiled and Santana walked over. "I love you." she whispered, kissing the girl before walking into the bathroom. Raising an eyebrow, Rachel walked over to the drawer and opened it before grabbing the notebooks. Curious, Rachel sat down and opened the leather notebook, gasping as she saw what was inside. Knowing she didn't have much time, she just looked at the titles of the songs. Santana seemed to have wrote down what inspired her to write the song by the title and at the bottom she wrote why that specific thing inspired her. She'd read those when Santana went to get dinner.

_**Down to Earth  
>Inspired By: Mom and Dad<strong>_

_**Born to Be Somebody  
>Inspired By: Mom<strong>_

_**Suddenly  
>Inspired By: Mom and Glee Club<strong>_

_**_**Love Me For Me  
>Inspired By: Mom and Glee Club<strong>_**_

_**Light Up The World  
>Inspired By: Glee Club<strong>_

_**Who Says  
>Inspired By: Coach Sylvester<strong>_

_**Crush  
>Inspired By: Rachel <strong>_

_**Pretending  
>Inspired By: Rachel <strong>_

_**Get It Right  
>Inspired By: Rachel <strong>_

_**_**Unlove You  
>Inspired By: Rachel <strong>_**_

_**Mad  
>Inspired By: Rachel <strong>_

Rachel was shocked by the amount of the songs were inspired by her, but she didn't have time to read them yet. She was confused as to what the sticks and dirt had anything to do with this and started to open the spiral. "What the hell are you doing?" Santana asked from behind her, causing her to jump.

"You're done with your shower already?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded as she glared at Rachel.

"You were probably too busy going through my stuff to notice the water being turned off." Santana snapped as she walked over and grabbed the notebooks out of her hands.

"San..."

"Rachel, if those were for everybody to read, they wouldn't be hidden in my drawer." the angry Latina said. Rachel looked down.

"I'm sorry, San." she whispered. Santana stared at her tiny wife and sighed before tossing the leather notebook on the bed.

"Read them if you want to. I don't care." she said, putting the spiral back into her drawer. Rachel wasn't reading her latest song until it was finished, which wouldn't be until it was in the notebook.

"Santana, no."

"Rachel, I said I don't care. Now that you have my permission, you don't want to read them. What's up with that?" Santana asked. Rachel bit her lip and Santana walked out of the room, closing the door. Silently, Rachel grabbed the notebook and opened it to the first song.

**_Down to Earth  
>Inspired By: Mom and Dad<em>**

_I never thought that it'd be easy,_  
><em>Cause we're both so distant now,<em>  
><em>And the walls are closing in on us and we're wondering how,<em>  
><em>No one has a solid answer,<em>  
><em>But just walking in the dark,<em>  
><em>And you can see the look on my face, it just tears me apart.<em>

_So we fight, (so we fight)_  
><em>Through the hurt, (through the hurt)<em>  
><em>And we cry and cry and cry and cry,<em>  
><em>And we live, (and we live)<em>  
><em>And we learn, (and we learn)<em>  
><em>And we try and try and try and try!<em>

_So its up to you, (oh)_  
><em>And its up to me, (yeah)<em>  
><em>and we meet in the middle, on our way back down to earth,<em>  
><em>Down to earth,<em>  
><em>Down to earth,<em>  
><em>Down to earth<em>  
><em>On our way back down to earth,<em>

_Back down to earth_  
><em>Back down to earth<em>  
><em>Back down to earth<em>  
><em>Back down to earth<em>  
><em>Back down to earth<em>  
><em>Back down to earth<em>  
><em>Back down to earth<em>  
><em>Back down to earth<em>

_Daddy, you were always somewhere,_  
><em>And Mama, I live out of town,<em>  
><em>So tell me how could I ever be, normal somehow?<em>  
><em>You tell me this is for the best,<em>  
><em>So tell me why am I in tears?<em>  
><em>So far away and now I just need you here,<em>

_So we fight, (so we fight)_  
><em>Through the hurt, (through the hurt)<em>  
><em>And we cry and cry and cry and cry,<em>  
><em>And we live, (and we live)<em>  
><em>And we learn, (and we learn)<em>  
><em>And we try and try and try and try<em>

_So its up to you,_  
><em>And its up to me,<em>  
><em>And we meet in the middle, on our way back down to earth,<em>  
><em>Down to earth<em>  
><em>Down to earth<em>  
><em>Down to earth<em>

_On our way back down to earth, (on our way back down to earth)_  
><em>Back down to earth<em>

_Back down to earth_  
><em>Back down to earth<em>  
><em>Back down to earth<em>  
><em>Back down to earth<em>  
><em>Back down to earth<em>  
><em>Back down to earth<em>

_Back down to earth_  
><em>I felt so far away,<em>  
><em>From where we used to be,<em>  
><em>And now we're standing,<em>  
><em>And where do we go,<em>  
><em>when there's is no road (no road)<em>  
><em>to get to your heart?<em>  
><em>Lets start over again!<em>

_So it's up to you,_  
><em>And it's up to me,<em>  
><em>And we meet in the middle, on our way back down to earth,<em>  
><em>Down to earth, (down to earth)<em>  
><em>Down to earth,<em>  
><em>On our way back down to earth,<em>

_I never thought that it'd be easy,_  
><em>Cause we're both so distant now,<em>  
><em>And the walls are closing in on us and we're wondering how?<em>

**_Reason for Inspiration: When Mom and Dad were getting divorced_**

Rachel couldn't help the tear that fell down her cheek as she read the song and flipped the page to the next one.

_**Born to Be Somebody  
>Inspired By: Mom<strong>_

_There's a dream in my soul,_  
><em>a fire that's deep inside me.<em>  
><em>There's a me no one knows<em>  
><em>waiting to be set free.<em>

_I'm gonna see that day;_  
><em>I can feel it,<em>  
><em>I can taste it.<em>  
><em>Change is coming my way.<em>

_I was born to be somebody._  
><em>Ain't nothing that's ever gonna stop me.<em>  
><em>I'll light up the sky like lightning,<em>  
><em>I'm gonna rise above,<em>  
><em>show 'em what I'm made of,<em>  
><em>I was born to be somebody,<em>  
><em>I was born to be,<em>  
><em>and this world will belong to me.<em>

_This life can kick you around,_  
><em>this world can make you feel small.<em>  
><em>They will not keep my down.<br>__I was born to stand tall._

_I'm goin' all the way._  
><em>I can feel it, I believe it.<em>  
><em>I'm here, I'm here to stay.<em>

_I was born to be somebody._  
><em>Ain't nothing that's ever gonna stop me.<em>  
><em>I'll light up the sky like lightning,<em>  
><em>I'm gonna rise above,<em>  
><em>show 'em what I'm made of,<em>  
><em>I was born to be somebody,<em>  
><em>I was born to be,<em>  
><em>and this world will belong to me.<em>

_Feel it,_  
><em>believe it,<em>  
><em>dream it,<em>  
><em>be it.<em>

_I was born to be somebody._  
><em>Ain't nothing that's ever gonna stop me.<em>  
><em>I'll light up the sky like lighting,<em>  
><em>I'm gonna rise above,<em>  
><em>show 'em what I'm made of,<em>  
><em>I was born to be somebody,<em>  
><em>I was born to be,<em>  
><em>and this world will belong to me.<em>

_And this world will belong to me.  
><em>_And this world will belong to me**.**_

_**Reason for Inspiration: When Mom left us because we weren't worth her dream and she basically said that I'd never do anything with my life.**_

Rachel glared at those words. There were times when she really wished that Santana would let her punch her mother, but she knew that Santana would never let her do that, regardless how the Latina felt about her mother.

**_Suddenly  
>Inspired By: Mom and Glee Club<em>**

_Suddenly I am in front of the lights_  
><em>Everything, I'm feeling<em>  
><em>Scary and beautiful at the same time<em>

_And every day, I try just to breathe_  
><em>I want to show the whole world<em>  
><em>The truth inside of me<em>

_Suddenly, people know my name_  
><em>Suddenly, everything has changed<em>  
><em>Suddenly, I feel so alive<em>  
><em>In the blink of an eye<em>  
><em>My dreams begin to rain<em>

_Suddenly time feels like the wind_  
><em>It changes everywhere I go<em>  
><em>I'm just trying to fit in<em>

_Now here I stand_  
><em>And I'm still just that girl<em>  
><em>I'm following my heart<em>  
><em>In this amazing crazy world<em>

_Suddenly, people know my name_  
><em>Suddenly, everything has changed<em>  
><em>Suddenly, I feel so alive<em>  
><em>In a blink of an eye<em>

_Suddenly, I am center stage_  
><em>Suddenly, I am not afraid<em>  
><em>Suddenly, I believe again<em>  
><em>In a blink of an eye, it's happening now<em>

_As my dreams begin to rain_  
><em>I wanna say, 'Love Me For Me', what's inside<em>  
><em>I'm gon' be 'Positive', not run away<em>  
><em>'So Much For You', this is life<em>

_Suddenly, I am center stage_  
><em>Suddenly, I am not afraid<em>  
><em>Suddenly, I believe again<em>  
><em>In the blink of an eye<em>  
><em>My dreams begin to rain<em>

**_Reason for Inspiration: Mom because of what she said when she left and Glee Club because it helped me realize that I can amount to something in life._**

Rachel smiled and turned the page.

_**Love Me For Me  
>Inspired By: Mom and Glee Club<br>**_  
><em>I'm not the girl that you see in the magazine<em>  
><em>Perfect face and perfect body<em>  
><em>Never be anyone but the one I am, what I am<em>  
><em>I can't bend to your expectations<em>  
><em>Look to fulfill any fantasy<em>  
><em>If what I am is what you need<em>

_Love me for me_  
><em>And not for someone I would never be<em>  
><em>Cause what you get is what you see<em>  
><em>And I can't be anymore than what I am<em>  
><em>Love me for me<em>  
><em>Or don't love me<br>_  
><em>Don't think you're gonna change what's inside of me<em>  
><em>Make me who you want me to be<em>  
><em>Won't be someone I'm not<em>  
><em>Somebody else, someone else<em>  
><em>Love me with all my imperfections<em>  
><em>Not for an image of your design<em>  
><em>Love me for what you see inside<em>

_Love me for me  
><em>_And not for someone I would never be_  
><em>Cause what you get is what you see<em>  
><em>And I can't be anymore than what I am<br>__Love me for me _  
><em>And not for someone you wish that I could be<em>

_Cause what you get is what you see _  
><em>And I can't be anymore than what I am<br>__Love me for me_  
><em>Or don't love me<br>_  
><em>I'd never do anything to change you<br>__Or make you be anything than who you are _  
><em>All that I am is all that I can be<em>  
><em>I love you for you<em>  
><em>So love me for me<em>

_Love me for me_  
><em>Or don't love me...<br>_  
><em>Love me for me<em>  
><em>And not for someone I would never be<em>  
><em>Cause what you get is what you see<em>  
><em>And I can't be anymore than what I am <em>

_Love me for me  
><em>_And not for someone you wish that I could be_  
><em>Cause what you get is what you see <em>  
><em>So love me for me<em>

_Or don't love me  
><em>_Love me for me  
><em>_Or don't love me_

_**Reason for Inspiration: Mom because she didn't really love and accept me for who I am and Glee Club because it taught me to be myself.**_

Rachel smiled, knowing that Glee Club had really helped her wife out of her shell.

**_Light Up the World  
>Inspired By: Glee Club<em>**

_Hey hey hey_  
><em>You and me keep on dancing in the dark<em>  
><em>It's been tearing me apart<em>  
><em>Never knowing what we are<em>

_Hey hey hey_  
><em>You and me keep on trying to play it cool<em>  
><em>Now it's time to make a move<em>  
><em>And that's what I'm gonna do<em>

_Lay it all down_  
><em>Got something to say<em>  
><em>Lay it all down<em>  
><em>Throw your doubt away<em>  
><em>Do or die now<em>  
><em>Step on to the plate<em>  
><em>Blow the door wide open like up up and away<em>

_Let's light up the world tonigh-igh-ight_  
><em>You gotta give up the bark and bi-i-ite<em>  
><em>I know that we got the love, alrigh-igh-ight<em>  
><em>Come on and ligh-ligh-light it up<em>  
><em>Light it up tonight<em>

_Let's light up the world tonigh-igh-ight_  
><em>You gotta give up the bark and bi-i-ite<em>  
><em>I know that we got the love, alrigh-igh-ight<em>  
><em>Come on and ligh-ligh-light it up<em>  
><em>Light it up tonight<em>

_Hey hey hey_  
><em>You and me turn it up 10000 watts<em>  
><em>Tell me why we gotta stop<em>  
><em>I just wanna let it rock<em>

_Hey hey hey_  
><em>You and me keep on staring at the road<em>  
><em>Like we don't know where to go<em>  
><em>Step back, let me take control<em>

_Lay it all down_  
><em>Got something to say<em>  
><em>Lay it all down<em>  
><em>Throw your doubt away<em>  
><em>Do or die now<em>  
><em>Step on to the plate<em>  
><em>Blow the door wide open like up up and away<em>

_Let's light up the world tonigh-igh-ight_  
><em>You gotta give up the bark and bi-i-ite<em>  
><em>I know that we got the love, alrigh-igh-ight<em>  
><em>Come on and ligh-ligh-light it up<em>  
><em>Light it up tonight<em>

_Let's light up the world tonigh-igh-ight_  
><em>You gotta give up the bark and bi-i-ite<em>  
><em>I know that we got the love, alrigh-igh-ight<em>  
><em>Come on and ligh-ligh-light it up<em>  
><em>Light it up tonight<em>

_Hey hey hey you_  
><em>Hey hey hey you<em>  
><em>Hey hey hey you<em>  
><em>Hey hey hey you you you you you<em>

_Lay it all down_  
><em>Got something to say<em>  
><em>Lay it all down<em>  
><em>Throw your doubt away<em>  
><em>Do or die now<em>  
><em>Step on to the plate<em>  
><em>Blow the door wide open like up up and away<em>

_Let's light up the world tonigh-igh-ight_  
><em>You gotta give up the bark and bi-i-ite<em>  
><em>I know that we got the love, alrigh-igh-ight<em>  
><em>Come on and ligh-ligh-light it up<em>  
><em>Light it up tonight<em>

_Let's light up the world tonigh-igh-ight_  
><em>You gotta give up the barkand bi-i-ite<em>  
><em>I know that we got the love, alrigh-igh-ight<em>  
><em>Come on and ligh-ligh-light it up<em>  
><em>Light it up tonight<em>

_Let's light up the world tonigh-igh-ight_  
><em>You gotta give up the bark and bi-i-ite<em>  
><em>I know that we got the love, alrigh-igh-ight<em>  
><em>Come on and ligh-ligh-light it up<em>  
><em>Light it up tonight<em>

**_Reason for Inspiration:... not really sure. Just kinda came to me in rehearsal..._**

Rachel couldn't help but laugh at her wife, but as she turned the page she frowned at the next inspiration.

**_Who Says  
>Inspired By: Coach Sylvester<em>**

_I wouldn't wanna be anybody else, hey_  
><em>You made me insecure, to me I wasn't good enough<em>  
><em>But who are you to judge<em>  
><em>When you're a diamond in the rough<em>

_I'm sure you got some things_  
><em>You'd like to change about yourself<em>  
><em>But when it comes to me<em>  
><em>I wouldn't want to be anybody else<em>

_I'm no beauty queen, I'm just beautiful me_  
><em>You got every right to a beautiful life, come on<em>

_Who says, who says you're not perfect_  
><em>Who says you're not worth it<em>  
><em>Who says you're the only one that's hurting<em>  
><em>Trust me that's the price of beauty<em>  
><em>Who says you're not pretty<em>  
><em>Who says you're not beautiful, who says?<em>

_It's such a funny thing_  
><em>How nothing's funny when it's you<em>  
><em>You tell 'em what you mean<em>  
><em>But they keep whitin' out the the truth<em>

_It's like the work of art_  
><em>That never get to see the light<em>  
><em>Keep you beneath the stars<em>  
><em>Won't let you touch the sky<em>

_I'm no beauty queen, I'm just beautiful me_  
><em>You got every right to a beautiful life, come on<em>

_Who says, who says you're not perfect_  
><em>Who says you're not worth it<em>  
><em>Who says you're the only one that's hurting<em>  
><em>Trust me that's the price of beauty<em>  
><em>Who says you're not pretty<em>  
><em>Who says you're not beautiful, who says?<em>

_Who says you're not star potential_  
><em>Who says you're not presidential<em>  
><em>Who says you can't be in movies<em>  
><em>Listen to me, listen to me<em>

_Who says you don't pass the test_  
><em>Who says you can't be the best<em>  
><em>Who said, who said?<em>  
><em>Would you tell me who said that, yeah<em>  
><em>Who said<em>

_Who says, who says you're not perfect_  
><em>Who says you're not worth it<em>  
><em>Who says you're the only one that's hurting<em>  
><em>Trust me that's the price of beauty<em>  
><em>Who says you're not pretty<em>  
><em>Who says you're not beautiful, who says?<em>

_Who says you're not perfect_  
><em>Who says you're not worth it<em>  
><em>Who says you're the only one that's hurting<em>  
><em>Trust me that's the price of beauty<em>  
><em>Who says you're not pretty<em>  
><em>Who says you're not beautiful, who says?<em>

**_Reason for Inspiration: Coach is always insulting everyone and its getting old..._**

Rachel smiled at her wife's hidden attempt at revenge on Coach Sylvester and turned to page to find the next song was about her.

**_Crush  
>Inspired By: Rachel <em>**

_I hung up the phone tonight_  
><em>Something happened for the first time<em>  
><em>Deep inside it was a rush, what a rush<em>

_Cause the possibility_  
><em>That you would ever feel the same way<em>  
><em>About me, just too much, just too much<em>

_Why do I keep running from the truth?_  
><em>All I ever think about is you<em>  
><em>You got me hypnotized, so mesmerized<em>  
><em>And I just got to know<em>

_Do you ever think when you're all alone_  
><em>All that we can be, where this thing can go?<em>  
><em>Am I crazy or falling in love?<em>  
><em>Is it really just another crush?<em>

_Do you catch a breath when I look at you?_  
><em>Are you holding back like the way I do?<em>  
><em>Cause I've tried and tried to walk away<em>  
><em>But I know this crush aint going away-ay-ay<em>  
><em>Going away-ay-ay<em>

_Has it ever crossed your mind_  
><em>When we're hanging, spending time girl?<em>  
><em>Are we just friends? Is there more? Is there more?<em>

_See it's a chance we've gotta take_  
><em>Cause I believe that we can make this into<em>  
><em>Something that will last, last forever, forever!<em>

_Do you ever think when you're all alone_  
><em>All that we could be, where this thing could go?<em>  
><em>Am I crazy or falling in love?<em>  
><em>Is it really just another crush?<em>

_Do you catch a breath when I look at you?_  
><em>Are you holding back like the way I do?<em>  
><em>Cause I've tried and tried to walk away<em>  
><em>But I know this crush ain?t going away-ay-ay<em>  
><em>Going away-ay-ay<em>

_Why do I keep running from the truth?_  
><em>All I ever think about is you<em>  
><em>You got me hypnotized, so mesmerized<em>  
><em>And I just got to know<em>

_Do you ever think when you're all alone_  
><em>All that we could be, where this thing could go?<em>  
><em>Am I crazy or falling in love?<em>  
><em>Is it really just another crush?<em>

_Do you catch a breath when I look at you?_  
><em>Are you holding back like the way I do?<em>  
><em>Cause I've tried and tried to walk away<em>  
><em>But I know this crush aint going away-ay-ay<em>  
><em>This crush ain't going away-ay-ay<em>

_Going away_  
><em>Going away-ay-ay<em>  
><em>Going away-ay-ay<em>

**_Reason for Inspiration: Because I can't tell her how I feel just yet, but I really REALLY like her and I DO want to tell her someday... :)_**

Rachel smiled softly. All that time freshman year, Rachel had been terrified of Santana, but the girl had liked her so much she'd been writing songs for her.

**_Pretending  
>Inspired By: Rachel<em>**

_Face to face and heart to heart_  
><em>We're so close yet so far apart.<em>  
><em>I close my eyes<em>  
><em>And look away<em>  
><em>That's just because I'm not okay.<em>

_But I hold on_  
><em>I stay strong<em>  
><em>Wondering if we still belong.<em>

_Will we ever say the words we're feeling?_  
><em>Reach down underneath<em>  
><em>And tear down all the walls?<em>  
><em>Will we ever have a happy ending?<em>  
><em>Or will we forever only be pretending?<em>  
><em>Will we a-a-a-always, a-a-a-a-always a-a-a-a-always be<em>  
><em>pretending?<em>

_How long do I fantisize_  
><em>Make believe that it's still alive?<em>  
><em>Imagine that, I am good enough<em>  
><em>And we can chose, the ones we love.<em>

_But I hold on_  
><em>I stay strong<em>  
><em>Wondering if we still belong.<em>

_Will we ever say the words we're feeling?_  
><em>Reach down underneath<em>  
><em>And tear down all the walls?<em>  
><em>Will we ever have a happy ending?<em>  
><em>Or will we forever only be pretending?<em>  
><em>Will we a-a-a-always, a-a-a-always a-a-a-always be<em>  
><em>pretending?<em>

_Keeping secrets safe_  
><em>Every move we make.<em>  
><em>Seems like no ones letting go<em>  
><em>And it's such a shame<em>  
><em>'Cause if you feel the same<em>  
><em>How am I supposed to know?<br>_  
><em>Will we ever say the words we're feeling?<em>  
><em>Reach down underneath<em>  
><em>And tear down all the walls?<em>  
><em>Will we ever have a happy ending?<em>  
><em>Or will we forever only be pretending?<em>  
><em>Will we a-a-a-always, a-a-a-always a-a-a-always be...<em>  
><em>Will we a-a-a-always, a-a-a-always a-a-a-always be...<em>  
><em>Will we a-a-a-always, a-a-a-always a-a-a-always be<em>  
><em>pretending?<em>

**_Reason for Inspiration: When Rach and I got in that fight right before Sectionals (sophomore year), but weren't really broken up yet._**

Rachel frowned as she remembered the fight and the break up, which had lead to her getting pregnant with Braylan and TJ. She loved the kids more than anything, but she knew that if Santana and she hadn't gotten in that fight and broken up after Sectionals, they wouldn't be alive because Rachel wouldn't have slept with Finn.

**_Get It Right  
>Inspired By: Rachel<em>**

_What have I done? I wish I could run. __  
>Away from this ship goin' under<br>Just tryin' to help, hurt everyone else  
>Now I feel the weight of the world is<br>On my shoulders_

_What can you do when your good isn't good enough?  
>When all that you touch tumbles down?<br>'Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things  
>I just wanna fix it somehow<br>But how many times will it take?  
>Oh, how many times will it take for me?<br>To get it right  
>To get it ri-igh-ight<em>

_Can I start again with my faith shaken?  
>'Cause I can't go back and undo this<br>I just have to stay and face my mistakes  
>But if I get stronger and wiser<br>I'll get through this  
><em>_  
>What can you do when your good isn't good enough?<br>When all that you touch tumbles down?  
>'Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things<br>I just wanna fix it somehow  
>But how many times will it take?<br>Oh, how many times will it take for me? To get it right  
><em>_  
>So I throw up my fist<br>Throw a punch in the air  
>And accept the truth, that sometimes life isn't fair<br>Yeah, I'll send down a wish  
>Yeah, I'll send up a prayer<br>And finally, someone will see  
>How much I care<em>

_What can you do when your good isn't good enough?  
>When all that you touch tumbles down?<br>'Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things  
>I just wanna fix it somehow<br>But how many it times will it take?  
>Oh, how many times will it take for me?<br>To get it right  
>To get it ri-igh-ight<em>

**_Reason for Inspiration: Right after Rach and I broke up after Sectionals sophomore year and she was dating Finn._**

Rachel hadn't known exactly how much her moving onto Finn so quickly had hurt Santana.

**_Unlove You  
>Inspired By: Rachel<br>_**  
><em>I fell in a perfect way<em>  
><em>Never had a choice to make<em>  
><em>Crashed into your tidal wave<em>  
><em>I didn't even struggle<em>

_Sailed right through your atmosphere_  
><em>Closed my eyes and landed here<em>  
><em>I didn't see the trouble<em>  
><em>And I didn't care<em>

_I can't unlove you_  
><em>Can't do that<em>  
><em>No matter how I try<em>

_I'll never turn my back on_  
><em>Someone who loved me too<em>  
><em>I can do most anything I have to<em>

_But this one thing I cannot change_  
><em>I almost kinda liked the pain<em>  
><em>Wear your tattoo like a stain<em>  
><em>And it will take forever to fade away<em>

_I can't unlove you_  
><em>Can't do that<em>  
><em>No matter how I try<em>

_I'll never turn my back on_  
><em>Someone who loved me too<em>  
><em>I can do most anything I have to<em>

_But I can't unlove you_  
><em>Why would I want to?<em>

_I can't unlove you_  
><em>Can't do that<em>  
><em>I'll never get through it<em>  
><em>Why would I want to?<em>

_There's always time for other dreams_  
><em>Why must we erase these things?<em>

_I can't unlove you_  
><em>Can't do that<em>  
><em>No matter how I try<em>

_I'll never turn my back on_  
><em>Someone who loved me too<em>

_But I can't unlove you_  
><em>Can't do that<em>  
><em>No matter how I try<em>

_I'll never turn my back on_  
><em>Someone who loved me too<em>  
><em>I can do most anything I have to<em>  
><em>But I can't unlove you<em>  
><em><strong><br>Reason for Inspiration: When Rachel broke up with me for Finn and I realized that I could never stop loving her, no matter what.**_

Rachel was seriously close to tears by this point, but she went onto the next song.

_**Mad  
>Inspired By: Rachel<strong>_

_She's starin' at me_  
><em>I'm sittin' wonderin' what she's thinkin'<em>  
><em>Nobody's talkin' 'cause talkin' just turns into screamin'<em>  
><em>And now its I'm yellin' over her, she yellin' over me<em>  
><em>All that that means is neither of us is listening<em>

_And what's even worse?_  
><em>That we don't even remember why we?re fighting<em>  
><em>So both of us are mad for<em>

_Nothing, fighting for_  
><em>Nothin', crying for<em>  
><em>Nothing, whoa<em>  
><em>But we won?t let it go for<em>

_Nothing, no not for_  
><em>Nothing, this should be<em>  
><em>Nothing to a love like what we got<em>

_Oh baby, I know sometimes it's gonna rain_  
><em>But baby, can we make up now?<em>  
><em>'Cause I can't sleep through the pain<em>  
><em>Can't sleep through the pain<em>

_Girl, I don't wanna go to bed mad at you_  
><em>And I don't want you to go to bed mad at me<em>  
><em>No, I don't wanna go to bed mad at you<em>  
><em>And I don't want you to go to bed mad at me<em>  
><em>Oh no no no<em>

_And it gets me upset_  
><em>Girl when youre constantly accusing<em>  
><em>Askin' questions like you already know<em>  
><em>We're fighting this war<em>  
><em>Baby when both of us are losing<em>  
><em>This ain't the way that love is supposed to go<em>

_Whoa, what happened to workin' it out?_  
><em>We've fall into this place<em>  
><em>Where you ain't backin' down and I ain't backin' down<em>  
><em>So what the hell do we do now?<em>  
><em>It's all for<em>

_Nothing, fighting for_  
><em>Nothing, crying for<em>  
><em>Nothing, whoa<em>  
><em>But we won?t let it go for<em>

_Nothing, no not for_  
><em>Nothing, this should be<em>  
><em>Nothing to a love like what we got<em>

_Oh baby, I know sometimes it's gonna rain_  
><em>But baby, can we make up now?<em>  
><em>'Cause I can't sleep through the pain<em>  
><em>Can't sleep through the pain<em>

_Girl, I don't wanna go to bed mad at you_  
><em>And I don't want you to go to bed mad at me<em>  
><em>No, I don't wanna go to bed mad at you<em>  
><em>And I don't want you to go to bed mad at me<em>  
><em>Oh no no no<em>

_Oh, baby this love ain't gonna be perfect_  
><em>Perfect, perfect, oh oh<em>  
><em>And just how good it's gonna be<em>  
><em>We can fuss and we can fight<em>  
><em>Long as everythings all right between us<em>  
><em>Before we go to sleep<em>  
><em>Baby, we're gonna be happy, oh<em>

_Baby, I know sometimes it's gonna rain_  
><em>But baby, can we make up now?<em>  
><em>'Cause I can't sleep through the pain<em>  
><em>Can't sleep through the pain<em>

_Girl, I don't wanna go to bed mad at you_  
><em>And I don't want you to go to bed mad at me<em>  
><em>No, I don't wanna go to bed mad at you<em>  
><em>And I don't want you to go to bed mad at me<em>  
><em>Oh no no no<em>

**_Reason for Inspiration: When Rach was in the hospital and she had her miscarriage. I thought I was gonna lose her and it scared me that the last thing I could have said to her would have been out of anger and I just wanted to tell her how much I love her_**

Rachel freely let the tears fall as she closed the notebook and walked into the living room. Santana looked up from the TV as the diva walked into the room. "Why are you crying?" Santana asked, any anger she had vanishing as she took her crying wife into her arms. Rachel shook her head and put her head under Santana's chin. "Tiny, what's wrong?" Santana whispered, taking the notebook from her tiny hands. She frowned as she looked at it. "Were they that bad?" Rachel shook her head.

"They were amazing, Santana." she managed to get out.

"Then why are you crying?" Santana asked, smiling slightly.

"Because they were amazing, Santana!" Rachel said. Santana laughed softly.

"Tiny, that doesn't make any sense." she said. Rachel nodded.

"Yes it does. Why didn't you ever tell me?" she asked. Santana shrugged.

"I don't know. It was always a thing I did for me. Besides, I knew you'd want to see them and they were so personal. They were never meant for anyone to see, just a way to get my emotions out." she said, wiping Rachel's tears.

"But... you wrote those songs about me... of course I'd want to see them." Rachel said. Santana smiled and leaned her forehead on the diva's.

"And now you have." she said. Rachel smiled and nodded. "I'm sorry I yelled at you." Santana whispered.

"I'm sorry I went through your stuff." Rachel whispered.

"How about this: Whenever I write a song, you'll be the first, and only, person I show. My dad knows, but when he asked to see my songs, I told them I was embarrassed and that I'd show him when I was ready. Anyway, I'll show you the song. But, you can never tell anyone about this and you have to stay out of table drawer and never touch my leather notebook without my permission. My dad gave it to me and its one of my most prized possessions. I don't want anything happening to it. I'll make you copies of my songs if you want, but you don't touch this notebook unless I say you can. Deal?" Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"I can accept your terms. Will you help me write a song?" Rachel asked. Santana grinned.

"Of course I will." she said, kissing Rachel.

"Great! I've written a couple of little snippets, but I want to expand them." Santana thought about laughing at the fact that a sixteen year old said the word 'snippet' but decided against it.

"Awesome. Go get my keyboard from the corner over there and I'll go get my guitar and my other notebook. That's where I do all the writing and then I copy it down into this one when its perfect." Santana said. Rachel looked up with a loving smile. "Maybe your song can go in there, if you want. I can just put that you wrote it." Santana added with a grin, standing up to go get her stuff. Settling back down with her guitar, she saw Rachel sit behind the keyboard.

"I'll play the first one for you. You can tell me what you think." Rachel said. Santana nodded and Rachel began playing.

_There you rest_  
><em>With all the rest<em>  
><em>Of my accessories<em>  
><em>On my nightstand.<em>

_You're red or yellow_  
><em>and like a good fellow<em>

_Sometimes you get lost in my mess_  
><em>But when schoolgirl pigtails won't do<em>  
><em>and I need to control my do<em>  
><em>You're the only one I can count on<em>  
><em>My headband<em>  
><em>You're my headband<em>

_Wrapped right around my melon_  
><em>You're a product like Magellan<em>

Santana raised an eyebrow as the girl stopped playing. "What'd you think?" Rachel asked excitedly.

"How long did it take you to write that song?" Santana asked carefully.

"An hour, but its not finished yet." Rachel said. Santana smiled, but Rachel saw through it. "You hate it." she said.

"Let's hear your other song." Santana said, trying to be helpful. Rachel nodded and began playing again.

_You've got just one egg_  
><em>You're not going to<em>  
><em>make an omelet<em>  
><em>Flying just one way<em>  
><em>You're not going to<em>  
><em>make a jet set<em>

_Sister, brother,_  
><em>wherefore art thou?<em>  
><em>No need for bunk beds<em>  
><em>in my bedroom now<em>

_Oh, damn you, Dads_  
><em>Why did you settle for only me?<em>  
><em>I'm an only child<em>  
><em>More than enought for them<em>  
><em>But not enough for me<em>

_Only child, only child, only child_  
><em>The only Berry on my family tree<em>

Rachel looked up expectantly. Santana bit her lip. "What the hell am I doing wrong?" Rachel asked. Santana clutched her guitar.

"Baby, you can obviously write, but you're not writing about anything... _good_. You need real inspiration. Like, I've been coming up with a new one. Listen to the chorus and figure out my inspiration..." Santana began strumming on her guitar. _"_Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth. __So everyone can hear. __Hit me with the words you got and knock me down. __Baby, I don't care. __Keep it up, and soon enough you'll figure out. __You wanna be. __You wanna be. __A loser like me. __A loser like me." __Santana finished playing and looked up. Rachel was smiling, but was clearly confused. "Coach Sylvester. In fact, you get dirt poured on you helped me finish my song." she explained. Rachel nodded.

"Which is why you ran off. I want to hear you sing it." Rachel said. Santana smiled and nodded.

"Of course." she said, playing again.

_Yeah, you may think that I'm a zero_  
><em>But, hey, everyone you wanna be<em>  
><em>Probably started off like me<em>  
><em>You may say that I'm a freakshow (I don't care)<em>  
><em>But, hey, give me just a little time<em>  
><em>I bet you're gonna change your mind<em>

_All of the dirt you've been throwin' my way_  
><em>It ain't so hard to take, that's right<em>  
><em>'Cause I know one day you'll be screamin' my name<em>  
><em>And I'll just look away, that's right<em>

_Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth_  
><em>So everyone can hear<em>  
><em>Hit me with the words you got and knock me down<em>  
><em>Baby, I don't care<em>  
><em>Keep it up, and soon enough you'll figure out<br>You wanna be_  
><em>You wanna be<em>  
><em>A loser like me<em>  
><em>A loser like me<em>

_Push me up against the locker_  
><em>And hey, all I do is shake it off<em>  
><em>I'll get you back when I'm your boss<em>  
><em>I'm not thinkin' 'bout you haters<em>  
><em>'Cause hey, I could be a superstar<em>  
><em>I'll see you when you wash my car<em>

_All of the dirt you've been throwin' my way_  
><em>It ain't so hard to take, that's right<em>  
><em>'Cause I know one day you'll be screamin' my name<em>  
><em>And I'll just look away, that's right<em>

_Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth_  
><em>So everyone can hear<em>  
><em>Hit me with the words you got and knock me down<em>  
><em>Baby, I don't care<em>  
><em>Keep it up, and soon enough you'll figure out<em>  
><em>You wanna be<em>  
><em>You wanna be<em>  
><em>A loser like me<em>  
><em>A loser like me<em>  
><em>A loser like me<em>

_Hey, you, over there_  
><em>Keep the L up-up in the air<em>  
><em>Hey, you, over there<em>  
><em>Keep the L up, 'cause I don't care<em>  
><em>You can throw your sticks, and you can throw your stones<em>  
><em>Like a rocket, just watch me go<em>  
><em>Yeah, l-o-s-e-r<em>  
><em>I can only be who I are<em>

_Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth_  
><em>So everyone can hear<em>  
><em>Hit me with the words you got and knock me down<em>  
><em>Baby, I don't care<em>  
><em>Keep it up, and soon enough you'll figure outYou wanna be<em>  
><em>You wanna be<em>  
><em>A loser like me<em>  
><em>A loser like me<em>

_Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth_  
><em>So everyone can hear<em>  
><em>Hit me with the words you got and knock me down<em>  
><em>Baby, I don't care<em>  
><em>Keep it up, and soon enough you'll figure out<em>  
><em>You wanna be<em>  
><em>You wanna be<em>  
><em>A loser like me<br>__A loser like me _  
><em>A loser like me<em>

Rachel was beaming with pride as Santana finished playing. "I'm so proud of you. You are so talented that it isn't even funny." Rachel said. Santana smiled.

"Now... let's start writing your song." she said, turning to a fresh piece of paper.

* * *

><p><em>Songs Used:<em>

_Down to Earth (Justin Bieber)_

_Born to Be Somebody (Justin Bieber)_

_Suddenly (Ashley Tisdale)_

_Love Me for Me (Ashley Tisdale)_

_Light Up the World (Glee Cast)_

_Who Says (Selena Gomez and the Scene)_

_Crush (David Archuleta)_

_Pretending (Glee Cast)_

_Get It Right (Glee Cast)_

_Unlove You (Ashley Tisdale)_

_Mad (Ne-Yo)_

_Loser Like Me (Glee Cast)_


	45. Chapter 45

Rachel spotted Santana - who had had early morning Cheerios practice - at her locker the next morning after arriving at school and walked up to her. "Never say never." she said. Santana looked over with a confused smile on her face.

"Sorry?" she asked, kissing the girl quickly.

"Never say never. That's the name of the song I want to write." Rachel explained. Santana grinned and leaned against her locker.

"That's awesome, Tiny. What inspired you to choose that title?" she asked.

"Well, I was thinking back to what you were saying about Coach Sylvester and the reason she inspired some of your songs and it reminded me of a certain time." Rachel said.

"What happened?" Santana asked warily.

_FLASHBACK_

_Rachel was in the choir room, practicing scales while Santana was retaking a quiz that she missed, when Coach Sylvester walked into the choir room. "You. Barbra Streisand." Rachel looked up to see her wife's cheerleading coach and stepped back slightly._

_"Yes, Coach Sylvester?" Rachel asked._

_"What are you doing in here?"_

_"Practicing..." Rachel said. sue raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "See, I want to be on Broadway... its my dream and if I want to get there, I need to practice as much as I can." Rachel said._

_"When are you Lima kids going to realize that none of you are going to get out of here. You're never leaving Ohio. You're probably never leaving Lima. Just get that piece of information through your head and give it up." Sue said, walking out. Rolling her eyes, Rachel returned to her scales._

_END FLASHBACK_

"Wait, she said that?" Santana asked. Rachel nodded.

"Sanny, don't worry about it. Hopefully, an amazing song comes out of this." Rachel said. Santana nodded hesitantly.

"Well, we can work on it tonight, baby." she said. Finn walked up to them. "Hey. How were the twins last night?" Santana asked.

"They were great. Kurt and I played with them all night." he answered. The girls smled. "Would you mind if they stayed a few extra nights?" he asked. Rachel and Santana shared a look.

"Yea, sure." Rachel said. Santana nodded and Finn smiled.

"Great. I'll come pick up some more stuff after Glee tonight." he said, walking away and Santana turned to Rachel.

"So think about what you want to write and we'll work on it at home." she said, kissing the diva. That night, after Finn and Kurt had picked up some extra stuff for the babies, Santana grabbed her guitar and spiral before sitting on the couch. "Okay, so did you think about writing?" Santana asked, writing on a blank page.

_**Never Say Never (Rachel's song)**_

"Yea I did." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"I kinda wrote a chorus. Do you want to hear it?" she asked. Rachel smiled.

"Yea, sure!" she said. Santana smiled and started playing.

_"I will never say never_  
><em>I will fight<em>  
><em>I will fight till forever<em>  
><em>Make it right<em>

_Whenever you knock me down_  
><em>I will not stay on the ground<em>  
><em>Pick it up, pick it up<em>  
><em>Pick it up, pick it up<em>  
><em>Up, up, up, up, up and never say never..."<em>

Santana sang. Rachel grinned. "That's all I have so far." Santana said.

"That was amazing, S." Rachel said, kissing her wife.

"Thanks. What did you get?" Santana asked, setting her guitar down. The pair worked on the song for two hours. "Wow... I've never written a song that fast before." Santana said as she wrote the last of the lyrics down. "We make a good team." she continued. Rachel smiled.

"Yea we do... in more ways than one." she agreed. Santana smiled softly and leaned in. Before she could close the gap, Rachel pulled back. "Wanna sing it?" she asked.

"Uh... no. I wants to get my mack on." Santana said. Rachel grinned slyly and Santana pouted. Frowning, Rachel kissed her wife quickly.

"Will that work for now?" Rachel asked. Santana sighed.

"I guess." she said, smiling as she grabbed her guitar. "You wanted to sing this, right?" she asked. Rachel grinned and nodded.

"I really liked that mini rap you wrote for the song. Its really funny." she said, laughing. Santana shrugged and grinned as she started playing.

_See I never thought that I could walk through fire_  
><em>I never thought that I could take the burn<em>  
><em>I never had the strength to take it higher<em>  
><em>Until I reached the point of no return<em>

_And there's just no turning back_  
><em>When your heart's under attack<em>  
><em>Gonna give everything I have<em>  
><em>It's my destiny<em>

_I will never say never_  
><em>I will fight<em>  
><em>I will fight till forever<em>  
><em>Make it right<em>

_Whenever you knock me down_  
><em>I will not stay on the ground<em>  
><em>Pick it up, pick it up<em>  
><em>Pick it up, pick it up<em>  
><em>Up, up, up, up, up and never say never<em>

_Ne-never say never_  
><em>Ne-never say never<em>  
><em>Ne-never say never<em>

_I never thought I could feel this power_  
><em>I never thought that I could feel this free<em>  
><em>I'm strong enough to climb the highest tower<em>  
><em>And I'm fast enough to run across the sea<em>

_And there's just no turning back_  
><em>When your hearts under attack<em>  
><em>Gonna give everything I have<em>  
><em>'Cause this is my destiny<em>

_I will never say never_  
><em>I will fight<br>__I will fight till forever_  
><em>Make it right<em>

_Whenever you knock me down_  
><em>I will not stay on the ground<em>  
><em>Pick it up, pick it up<em>  
><em>Pick it up, pick it up<em>  
><em>Up, up, up, up, up and never say never<em>

_Ne-never say never_  
><em>Ne-never say never<em>  
><em>Ne-never say never<em>

_Now he's bigger than me, taller than me_  
><em>And he's older than me and stronger than me<em>  
><em>And his arms a little bit longer than me<em>  
><em>But he ain't on a JB song with me<em>

_I be trying a chill_  
><em>They be trying to side with the thrill<em>  
><em>No pun intended<em>  
><em>Was raised by the power of Will<em>

_Like Luke with the Force_  
><em>When push comes to shove<em>  
><em>Like Kobe with the fourth<em>  
><em>Ice water with blood<em>

_I gotta be the best, and yes_  
><em>We're the fliest like David and Goliath<em>  
><em>I conquered the giant<em>  
><em>So now I got the world in my hand<em>  
><em>I was born to be a star<em>  
><em>So the moon's where I land<em>

_I will never say never_  
><em>I will fight<em>  
><em>I will fight till forever<em>  
><em>Make it right<em>

_Whenever you knock me down_  
><em>I will not stay on the ground<em>  
><em>Pick it up pick it up<em>  
><em>Pick it up pick it up<em>  
><em>Up, up, up, up, up and never say never<em>

_Ne-never say never_  
><em>Ne-never say never<em>  
><em>Ne-never say never<em>

_I will never say never_  
><em>I will fight<em>  
><em>I will fight till forever<em>  
><em>Make it right<em>

_Whenever you knock me down_  
><em>I will not stay on the ground<em>  
><em>Pick it up pick it up<em>  
><em>Pick it up pick it up<em>  
><em>Up, up, up, up, up aad never say never<em>

_Ne-never say never_  
><em>Ne-never say never<em>  
><em>Ne-never say never<em>

_Never say never_

"That was awesome, Tiny. Totally ready for you to sing when you propose your Original Song idea to the Glee Club." Santana said, setting her guitar down. Rachel nodded as Santana pulled her into her lap.

"Sanny?" she asked.

"Yea, babe?"

"Do you ever think about singing one of your songs in Glee?" Rachel asked. Santana shook her head.

"Not happening. Baby, you and my dad are the only people who know. You're the only person who will ever see my lyrics." she said. Rachel sighed.

"San, I'm sure everyone else wold love your songs as much as I do. They're amazing, baby." Rachel said.

"Rachel, no."

"S..."

"Rachel, I said no." Santana said.

"But San..."

"_No!_" Santana said. Rachel sighed and nodded.

"Fine. I'll let it go." Rachel said.

"Thank you." Santana said, turning on the TV. The next day in Glee Club, Rachel raised her hand.

"Mr. Schuester, I have an idea I'd like to propose to you." Rachel said.

"The floor's yours, Rach." the teacher said and Rachel moved to stand in front of the group.

"Okay. For Regionals, I was thinking we could-"

"Hold on. We haven't even performed at Sectionals yet." Mr. Schue said. Rachel nodded.

"I'm aware. Picking a set list for Sectionals will be easy. We've already demonstrated that we're ready for Sectionals, but we clearly weren't prepared for Regionals. I believe that if we begin preparing for Regionals now, not only will we win, but it will give us even more preparation time for Nationals as well. I would like to propose that we sing Original songs at Regionals and possibly even Nationals." Rachel said. Everyone raised an eyebrow. "Before you guys say anything, I've prepared an original song." Rachel said, nodding to Brad who had the piano version of the song. Smiling, Rachel began to sing. When Santana realized what song she was singing, her smile slid off of her face.

_What have I done? I wish I could run. __  
>Away from this ship goin' under<br>Just tryin' to help, hurt everyone else  
>Now I feel the weight of the world is<br>On my shoulders_

_What can you do when your good isn't good enough?  
>When all that you touch tumbles down?<br>'Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things  
>I just wanna fix it somehow<br>But how many times will it take?  
>Oh, how many times will it take for me?<br>To get it right  
>To get it ri-igh-ight<em>

_Can I start again with my faith shaken?  
>'Cause I can't go back and undo this<br>I just have to stay and face my mistakes  
>But if I get stronger and wiser<br>I'll get through this  
><em>_  
>What can you do when your good isn't good enough?<br>When all that you touch tumbles down?  
>'Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things<br>I just wanna fix it somehow  
>But how many times will it take?<br>Oh, how many times will it take for me? To get it right  
><em>_  
>So I throw up my fist<br>Throw a punch in the air  
>And accept the truth, that sometimes life isn't fair<br>Yeah, I'll send down a wish  
>Yeah, I'll send up a prayer<br>And finally, someone will see  
>How much I care<em>

_What can you do when your good isn't good enough?  
>When all that you touch tumbles down?<br>'Cause my best intentions keep making a mess of things  
>I just wanna fix it somehow<br>But how many it times will it take?  
>Oh, how many times will it take for me?<br>To get it right  
>To get it ri-igh-ight<em>

"What the hell?" Santana whispered as everyone clapped.

"Rachel, that was amazing. Did you write that?" Mr. Schue asked. Rachel started to answer, but Santana cut her off.

"No. She didn't." the Latina answered. Everyone turned toward her.

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked.

"I wrote that song." Santana said, eyes locked onto Rachel's.

"Wait. Santana, you wrote that?" Puck asked. Santana nodded. "Why didn't you tell us that you write songs?" he asked. Santana shrugged.

"Santana, I'm sorry." her wife said.

"Why are you apologizing? That song was amazing." Quinn said.

"I wrote that song for Rachel and she promised never to tell anyone about my songs. She was supposed to sing the song she and I wrote last night for her to sing for you guys." the Latina said, still not breaking eye contact with her wife.

"How many songs have you written?" Mercedes asked. Santana shrugged.

"A lot." Rachel offered, closing her mouth when her wife glared. "Santana, what's wrong with wanting to be proud of you?" Rachel asked, suddenly forgetting about the Glee Club.

"Writing was something that was supposed to be for me. Now everyone knows about it!" Santana said. Rachel looked down. "Now everyone is going to want me to write for them. They're probably going to say that-"

"Santana, you should be our official song writer." Mr. Schue said, apparently oblivious to the arguing girls. Santana rolled her eyes and stood up.

"That. Now my writing isn't mine anymore! I have to go. Rachel, please don't try to follow me or call me. I'll see you at home." Santana said, walking out of the room.

"Santana!" Rachel called after her. Mercedes grabbed her arm.

"Let her calm down, Rach. I'll give you a ride home." her friend said. Rachel nodded, knowing she had really messed up. Mr. Schue cleared his throat.

"Well... I guess that's enough for one day. You all can go." he said.

"Wait! Shoudln't we vote on Rachel's Original song idea?" Kurt asked. Mr. Schue nodded.

"All in favor?" Everyone raised their hands. "Rachel, would you happen to know Santana's vote?" he asked.

"She was for it last night, but I don't know anymore." Rachel admitted. He nodded.

"Well, either way, its decided. We're doing Original songs at Regionals." the teacher said. The club cheered and Rachel walked to her locker with Mercedes.

"I'm such an idiot. How could I have thought that that was a good idea?" Rachel asked. Mercedes shrugged.

"You probably should have asked Santana first." she said. Rachel glared.

"No freaking duh, Mercedes." she said.

"Wow... you can really tell that you're married to Santana. She's starting to rub off on you." Mercedes said with an amused smirk. Rachel rolled her eyes and opened her locker. "Look, I think you should just let her cool off and let her come to you." Mercedes advised.

"That involves waiting, which involves patience. I don't like waiting or being patient." Rachel said.

"Yea, I know. But you know Santana loves you, but let her come to you when she's ready." Mercedes said, pulling into the parking lot for Rachel and Santana's apartment building. Nodding, Rachel got out of the car and slowly walked to her and Santana's apartment. Opening the door, Rachel heard the faint sounds of the keyboard from their bedroom. She listened as her wife smoothly went from song to song.

_She's starin' at me_  
><em>I'm sittin' wonderin' what she's thinkin'<em>  
><em>Nobody's talkin' 'cause talkin' just turns into screamin'<em>  
><em>And now its I'm yellin' over her, she yellin' over me<em>  
><em>All that that means is neither of us is listening<em>

_And what's even worse?_  
><em>That we don't even remember why we?re fighting<em>  
><em>So both of us are mad for<em>

_Nothing, fighting for_  
><em>Nothin', crying for<em>  
><em>Nothing, whoa<em>  
><em>But we won?t let it go for<em>

_Nothing, no not for_  
><em>Nothing, this should be<em>  
><em>Nothing to a love like what we got<em>

_Oh baby, I know sometimes it's gonna rain_  
><em>But baby, can we make up now?<em>  
><em>'Cause I can't sleep through the pain<em>  
><em>Can't sleep through the pain<em>

_Girl, I don't wanna go to bed mad at you_  
><em>And I don't want you to go to bed mad at me<em>  
><em>No, I don't wanna go to bed mad at you<em>  
><em>And I don't want you to go to bed mad at me<em>  
><em>Oh no no no<em>

_And it gets me upset_  
><em>Girl when youre constantly accusing<em>  
><em>Askin' questions like you already know<em>  
><em>We're fighting this war<em>  
><em>Baby when both of us are losing<em>  
><em>This ain't the way that love is supposed to go<em>

_Whoa, what happened to workin' it out?_  
><em>We've fall into this place<em>  
><em>Where you ain't backin' down and I ain't backin' down<em>  
><em>So what the hell do we do now?<em>  
><em>It's all for<em>

_Nothing, fighting for_  
><em>Nothing, crying for<em>  
><em>Nothing, whoa<em>  
><em>But we won?t let it go for<em>

_Nothing, no not for_  
><em>Nothing, this should be<em>  
><em>Nothing to a love like what we got<em>

_Oh baby, I know sometimes it's gonna rain_  
><em>But baby, can we make up now?<em>  
><em>'Cause I can't sleep through the pain<em>  
><em>Can't sleep through the pain<em>

_Girl, I don't wanna go to bed mad at you_  
><em>And I don't want you to go to bed mad at me<em>  
><em>No, I don't wanna go to bed mad at you<em>  
><em>And I don't want you to go to bed mad at me<em>  
><em>Oh no no no<em>

_Oh, baby this love ain't gonna be perfect_  
><em>Perfect, perfect, oh oh<em>  
><em>And just how good it's gonna be<em>  
><em>We can fuss and we can fight<em>  
><em>Long as everythings all right between us<em>  
><em>Before we go to sleep<em>  
><em>Baby, we're gonna be happy, oh<em>

_Baby, I know sometimes it's gonna rain_  
><em>But baby, can we make up now?<em>  
><em>'Cause I can't sleep through the pain<em>  
><em>Can't sleep through the pain<em>

_Girl, I don't wanna go to bed mad at you_  
><em>And I don't want you to go to bed mad at me<em>  
><em>No, I don't wanna go to bed mad at you<em>  
><em>And I don't want you to go to bed mad at me<em>  
><em>Oh no no no<em>

_I fell in a perfect way_  
><em>Never had a choice to make<em>  
><em>Crashed into your tidal wave<em>  
><em>I didn't even struggle<em>

_Sailed right through your atmosphere_  
><em>Closed my eyes and landed here<em>  
><em>I didn't see the trouble<em>  
><em>And I didn't care<em>

_I can't unlove you_  
><em>Can't do that<em>  
><em>No matter how I try<em>

_I'll never turn my back on_  
><em>Someone who loved me too<em>  
><em>I can do most anything I have to<em>

_But this one thing I cannot change_  
><em>I almost kinda liked the pain<em>  
><em>Wear your tattoo like a stain<em>  
><em>And it will take forever to fade away<em>

_I can't unlove you_  
><em>Can't do that<em>  
><em>No matter how I try<em>

_I'll never turn my back on_  
><em>Someone who loved me too<em>  
><em>I can do most anything I have to<em>

_But I can't unlove you_  
><em>Why would I want to?<em>

_I can't unlove you_  
><em>Can't do that<em>  
><em>I'll never get through it<em>  
><em>Why would I want to?<em>

_There's always time for other dreams_  
><em>Why must we erase these things?<em>

_I can't unlove you_  
><em>Can't do that<em>  
><em>No matter how I try<em>

_I'll never turn my back on_  
><em>Someone who loved me too<em>

_But I can't unlove you_  
><em>Can't do that<em>  
><em>No matter how I try<em>

_I'll never turn my back on_  
><em>Someone who loved me too<em>  
><em>I can do most anything I have to<em>  
><em>But I can't unlove you<em>

_Face to face and heart to heart_  
><em>We're so close yet so far apart.<em>  
><em>I close my eyes<em>  
><em>And look away<em>  
><em>That's just because I'm not okay.<em>

_But I hold on_  
><em>I stay strong<em>  
><em>Wondering if we still belong.<em>

_Will we ever say the words we're feeling?_  
><em>Reach down underneath<em>  
><em>And tear down all the walls?<em>  
><em>Will we ever have a happy ending?<em>  
><em>Or will we forever only be pretending?<em>  
><em>Will we a-a-a-always, a-a-a-a-always a-a-a-a-always be<em>  
><em>pretending?<em>

_How long do I fantisize_  
><em>Make believe that it's still alive?<em>  
><em>Imagine that, I am good enough<em>  
><em>And we can chose, the ones we love.<em>

_But I hold on_  
><em>I stay strong<em>  
><em>Wondering if we still belong.<em>

_Will we ever say the words we're feeling?_  
><em>Reach down underneath<em>  
><em>And tear down all the walls?<em>  
><em>Will we ever have a happy ending?<em>  
><em>Or will we forever only be pretending?<em>  
><em>Will we a-a-a-always, a-a-a-always a-a-a-always be<em>  
><em>pretending?<em>

_Keeping secrets safe_  
><em>Every move we make.<em>  
><em>Seems like no ones letting go<em>  
><em>And it's such a shame<em>  
><em>'Cause if you feel the same<em>  
><em>How am I supposed to know?<br>_  
><em>Will we ever say the words we're feeling?<em>  
><em>Reach down underneath<em>  
><em>And tear down all the walls?<em>  
><em>Will we ever have a happy ending?<em>  
><em>Or will we forever only be pretending?<em>  
><em>Will we a-a-a-always, a-a-a-always a-a-a-always be...<em>  
><em>Will we a-a-a-always, a-a-a-always a-a-a-always be...<em>  
><em>Will we a-a-a-always, a-a-a-always a-a-a-always be<em>  
><em>pretending?<em>

_I hung up the phone tonight_  
><em>Something happened for the first time<em>  
><em>Deep inside it was a rush, what a rush<em>

_Cause the possibility_  
><em>That you would ever feel the same way<em>  
><em>About me, just too much, just too much<em>

_Why do I keep running from the truth?_  
><em>All I ever think about is you<em>  
><em>You got me hypnotized, so mesmerized<em>  
><em>And I just got to know<em>

_Do you ever think when you're all alone_  
><em>All that we can be, where this thing can go?<em>  
><em>Am I crazy or falling in love?<em>  
><em>Is it really just another crush?<em>

_Do you catch a breath when I look at you?_  
><em>Are you holding back like the way I do?<em>  
><em>Cause I've tried and tried to walk away<em>  
><em>But I know this crush aint going away-ay-ay<em>  
><em>Going away-ay-ay<em>

_Has it ever crossed your mind_  
><em>When we're hanging, spending time girl?<em>  
><em>Are we just friends? Is there more? Is there more?<em>

_See it's a chance we've gotta take_  
><em>Cause I believe that we can make this into<em>  
><em>Something that will last, last forever, forever!<em>

_Do you ever think when you're all alone_  
><em>All that we could be, where this thing could go?<em>  
><em>Am I crazy or falling in love?<em>  
><em>Is it really just another crush?<em>

_Do you catch a breath when I look at you?_  
><em>Are you holding back like the way I do?<em>  
><em>Cause I've tried and tried to walk away<em>  
><em>But I know this crush ain?t going away-ay-ay<em>  
><em>Going away-ay-ay<em>

_Why do I keep running from the truth?_  
><em>All I ever think about is you<em>  
><em>You got me hypnotized, so mesmerized<em>  
><em>And I just got to know<em>

_Do you ever think when you're all alone_  
><em>All that we could be, where this thing could go?<em>  
><em>Am I crazy or falling in love?<em>  
><em>Is it really just another crush?<em>

_Do you catch a breath when I look at you?_  
><em>Are you holding back like the way I do?<em>  
><em>Cause I've tried and tried to walk away<em>  
><em>But I know this crush aint going away-ay-ay<em>  
><em>This crush ain't going away-ay-ay<em>

_Going away_  
><em>Going away-ay-ay<em>  
><em>Going away-ay-ay<em>

_There's a dream in my soul,_  
><em>a fire that's deep inside me.<em>  
><em>There's a me no one knows<em>  
><em>waiting to be set free.<em>

_I'm gonna see that day;_  
><em>I can feel it,<em>  
><em>I can taste it.<em>  
><em>Change is coming my way.<em>

_I was born to be somebody._  
><em>Ain't nothing that's ever gonna stop me.<em>  
><em>I'll light up the sky like lightning,<em>  
><em>I'm gonna rise above,<em>  
><em>show 'em what I'm made of,<em>  
><em>I was born to be somebody,<em>  
><em>I was born to be,<em>  
><em>and this world will belong to me.<em>

_This life can kick you around,_  
><em>this world can make you feel small.<em>  
><em>They will not keep my down.<br>__I was born to stand tall._

_I'm goin' all the way._  
><em>I can feel it, I believe it.<em>  
><em>I'm here, I'm here to stay.<em>

_I was born to be somebody._  
><em>Ain't nothing that's ever gonna stop me.<em>  
><em>I'll light up the sky like lightning,<em>  
><em>I'm gonna rise above,<em>  
><em>show 'em what I'm made of,<em>  
><em>I was born to be somebody,<em>  
><em>I was born to be,<em>  
><em>and this world will belong to me.<em>

_Feel it,_  
><em>believe it,<em>  
><em>dream it,<em>  
><em>be it.<em>

_I was born to be somebody._  
><em>Ain't nothing that's ever gonna stop me.<em>  
><em>I'll light up the sky like lighting,<em>  
><em>I'm gonna rise above,<em>  
><em>show 'em what I'm made of,<em>  
><em>I was born to be somebody,<em>  
><em>I was born to be,<em>  
><em>and this world will belong to me.<em>

_And this world will belong to me.  
><em>_And this world will belong to me**.**_

_Suddenly I am in front of the lights_  
><em>Everything, I'm feeling<em>  
><em>Scary and beautiful at the same time<em>

_And every day, I try just to breathe_  
><em>I want to show the whole world<em>  
><em>The truth inside of me<em>

_Suddenly, people know my name_  
><em>Suddenly, everything has changed<em>  
><em>Suddenly, I feel so alive<em>  
><em>In the blink of an eye<em>  
><em>My dreams begin to rain<em>

_Suddenly time feels like the wind_  
><em>It changes everywhere I go<em>  
><em>I'm just trying to fit in<em>

_Now here I stand_  
><em>And I'm still just that girl<em>  
><em>I'm following my heart<em>  
><em>In this amazing crazy world<em>

_Suddenly, people know my name_  
><em>Suddenly, everything has changed<em>  
><em>Suddenly, I feel so alive<em>  
><em>In a blink of an eye<em>

_Suddenly, I am center stage_  
><em>Suddenly, I am not afraid<em>  
><em>Suddenly, I believe again<em>  
><em>In a blink of an eye, it's happening now<em>

_As my dreams begin to rain_  
><em>I wanna say, 'Love Me For Me', what's inside<em>  
><em>I'm gon' be 'Positive', not run away<em>  
><em>'So Much For You', this is life<em>

_Suddenly, I am center stage_  
><em>Suddenly, I am not afraid<em>  
><em>Suddenly, I believe again<em>  
><em>In the blink of an eye<em>  
><em>My dreams begin to rain<em>

Sighing and knowing she had to let Santana calm down, Rachel went into the kitchen and got a snack. After a few minutes, Santana came out of the bedroom. Noticing her wife enter the room, Rachel stopped eating and waved slightly. "Hi." she whispered. Santana nodded. "The Glee Club voted on Original songs for Regionals." Rachel said.

"I'm happy for you, Rach. I'll get to work on writing you a kick-ass song." Santana said, sarcastically.

"San, I'm sorry." Rachel said.

"I know you are. But you promised to say anything. You were supposed to sing _Never Say Never, _not _Get It Right_." Santana said. Rachel nodded. "But... I get what you were saying about wanting to be proud of me. I guess I can't be mad at you for that." Santana continued. Rachel looked up.

"Santana, I'm so sorry." Rachel said. Santana nodded.

"Look, I'm not happy about what you did, but I'm not angry with you. I kind of like the sound of the Glee Club singing my songs in front of people." Santana admitted. Rachel smiled. "Let's just concentrate on winning Sectionals or we're never gonna sing my songs in front of a crowd." Santana said, hugging Rachel.


	46. Chapter 46

"Yo Tiny!" Santana said, walking into the living room a few weeks later. Rachel looked up with a smile.

"What's up Sanny?" the diva asked as Santana sat down next to her and laid down.

"Q and B are on their way over. You know how Q's been sort of seeing Sam?" Rachel nodded and stroked the girl's hair. "She asked me to help her write a song for him and she wants to hear what I came up with." Rachel raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you didn't want everyone asking you to write songs for them." she said. Santana grinned.

"And this will keep everyone from asking me unless its for competition." she said. Rachel shook her head.

"You're a little evil, you know that?" Santana nodded as the doorbell rang. Sitting up, she kissed the small brunette.

"You can stay if you want. It'll be funny." Santana said, getting up to answer the door. "Hey Q. Hey B. Come in." The three Cheerios sat in the living room.

"So what did you come up with, S?" Quinn asked. Santana smiled and shared a look with Rachel.

"I think you'll be very happy with this song, Q." Santana said and started playing on the keyboard.

_Guppy Face, Trouty Mouth_  
><em>Is that how people's lips look<br>Where you come from in the South?_

_Grouper Mouth, Froggy Lips_  
><em>I love suckin' on those salamander lips <em>

_Wanna put a fish hook in those lips so cherry red_  
><em>If you tried hard enough<br>You could suck a baby's head_

Santana finished singing and looked up at Quinn for approval. "What did you think, Q?" she asked. Quinn's jaw was dropped. "Wasn't it good?" Santana asked innocently.

"What kind of a song is that?" Quinn asked.

"Oh, its called _Trouty Mouth_. I wrote it for you to sing to Sam like you asked." Santana said.

"S... your other songs were a lot better than that." Quinn said. Santana smiled.

"That's because I actually tried on those songs." she said. Quinn rolled her eyes, but smiled.

"Sam doesn't need an original song. Besides... I'm not entirely sure we're working out." Quinn said. Santana raised an eyebrow. "I kind of miss Puck." she explained. Santana smirked. "Shut up." Quinn said.

"S, did you write me a song?" Brittany asked. Santana gave her best friend a sweet smile.

"Of course I did B. Rachel, hand me my guitar." Santana said, moving away from the keyboard. "Rach, can you help me sing it?" she asked. Rachel nodded. Santana smiled and started playing.

_I got you in the palm of my hand_  
><em>Wanna put somethin' hot in you<em>  
><em>So hot that you can't stand (And you can't stand)<em>

_Gonna take you to my lips_  
><em>Empty out every last drop<em>  
><em>So thirsty for what's in you, baby<em>  
><em>That I can't stop (That I can't stop)<em>

_In the middle of the night, I'm in bed alone_  
><em>Don't care if you're glass, paper, styrofoam<em>  
><em>When I need some water, baby, coffee or gin<em>  
><em>You're the only thing, I wanna put them in<em>

_My cup, my cup_  
><em>Sayin' what's up to my cup, my cup<em>  
><em>More of a friend than a silly pup, my cup<em>  
><em>You know what it is<em>  
><em>I'm sayin' what's up to my cup (Ahh)<em>  
><em>I'm sayin' what's up to my cup (Ahh)<em>  
><em>I'm sayin' what's up to my cup (Ahh)<em>

"What did you think, B?" Santana asked. Brittany clapped and smiled.

"I loved it! Sing it again." Brittany said.

"Maybe another time, Britt." Santana said, smiling. Quinn looked around.

"So where are the twins?" she asked.

"Taking a nap." Rachel answered. Santana smiled, but couldn't help but think back to a time when their lives weren't so complicated. When it was just the two of them.

_FLASHBACK_

_Santana and Rachel were spending the weekend at Santana's dad's lake house by themselves. They hadn't really done much except lay on the couch and make out. It wasn't a rushed make out session, but a soft, slow, tender one that was full of love. They were still getting used to saying it out loud when it had been unspoken for so long. They were also still getting used to someone else knowing. It had been two days since they'd come out to Quinn, who was respectfully giving the couple their privacy. Santana ran her fingers through Rachel's hair as she watched the beautiful girl nap peacefully in her arms. She felt incredibly blessed to be able to call that girl her's and she wished that it wasn't against Cheerios policy to be with anyone other than a football player. She had never wanted to hide their relationship. It was Rachel that hadn't been ready to come out yet, and Santana had patiently waited. Just as they had BOTH been ready, something else was standing in their way. Rachel stirred in her sleep and Santana smiled softly._

_"God... you're so beautiful, Tiny." she whispered softly, admiring the girl. Rachel snuggled closer to Santana as her eyes opened slowly._

_"Hi." she whispered, smiling._

_"Hey." Santana whispered, the smile on her face growing wider as she stared. _

_"What?" Rachel asked. Santana shook her head._

_"I love you so much." she said._

_"I love you too, Sanny." Rachel whispered. Santana kissed her softly. "I wish we could just stay here. No disruptions, no Finn, no Cheerios, no Sue Sylvester. Just you and me. That's all we need." Rachel said. Santana nodded._

_"I know what you mean. I miss summer when we could hang out all day, no distractions. I had you and that's all I needed." Santana said. Rachel nodded thoughtfully. _

_"I think that we should set aside one weekend every month or every few months where we put everything on hold and just go somewhere and be by ourselves. No distractions, no worries, no drama." Rachel suggested. Santana smiled._

_"I love that idea, Tiny." she said._

_END FLASHBACK_

Santana leaned over. "Do you miss our weekend trips?" she whispered. Rachel looked over and nodded. "When the twins are a little older, we're going to take one, okay? I don't feel comfortable leaving them overnight when we're not in town, but when they get a little older, like in a few months or so, we're going to take one. We can go up to my dad's cabin like we used to." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"I'd love that, Sanny." she said. Santana grinned and kissed her. "Can I borrow your guitar? I wrote another song a few days ago and I want to know what you guys think." Rachel said. Nodding, Santana handed her the instrument. "Its called _Pray_. I was sitting with TJ and Bray and had the news on. You were at Cheerios practice or something. Anyway, I wrote it." she said and began playing.

_I just can't sleep tonight._  
><em>Knowing that things ain't right.<em>  
><em>It's in the papers, it's on the TV, it's everywhere that I go.<em>  
><em>Children are crying.<em>  
><em>Soldiers are dying<em>  
><em>Some people don't have a home<em>

_But I know there's sunshine beyond that rain_  
><em>I know there's good times behind that pain<em>  
><em>Hey, can you tell me how I can make a change?<em>

_I close my eyes and I can see a better day_  
><em>I close my eyes and pray<em>  
><em>I close my eyes and I can see a better day<em>  
><em>I close my eyes and pray<em>

_I lose my appetite, knowing kids starve tonight._  
><em>Am I a sinner 'cause half my dinner is still there on my plate?<em>  
><em>Oh, I got a vision to make a difference.<em>  
><em>And it's starting today.<em>

_'cause I know there's sunshine beyond that rain_  
><em>I know there's good times behind that pain<em>  
><em>Heaven, tell me how I can make a change?<em>

_I close my eyes and I can see a better day_  
><em>I close my eyes and pray<em>  
><em>I close my eyes and I can see a better day<em>

_I close my eyes and I pray for the broken-hearted_  
><em>I pray for the life not started<em>  
><em>I pray for all the lungs not breathing.<em>  
><em>I pray for all the souls that need a break.<em>  
><em>Can you give 'em one today?<em>

_I just can't sleep tonight._  
><em>Can someone tell me how to make a change?<em>

_I close my eyes and I can see a better day_  
><em>I close my eyes and pray<em>  
><em>I close my eyes and I can see a better day<em>  
><em>I close my eyes and I pray <em>

_I pray  
><em>_I pray  
><em>_I close my eyes and pray_

Santana grinned as she clapped. "That was amazing, Tiny. You're getting the hang of this." she said. Quinn and Brittany nodded.

"That was really good, Rach." Brittany said. Smiling, Rachel set the instrument down as Santana kissed her, laying down on top of her.

"Uh... we're still here, lovebirds. And your kids are in the next room." Quinn said, laughing. Rolling her eyes, Santana stopped kissing, but remained laying on Rachel.

"Santana. Get off of me." Rachel said, laughing. Sighing, Santana got off, but quickly reversed the situation so that Rachel was laying on her.

"Is this okay with you _princess_?" Santana asked. Rachel rolled her eyes and nodded. "Good. I love you." she said. Rachel smiled.

"I love you too."


	47. Chapter 47

**Epilogue**

* * *

><p>"San, we need you to be ready in five!" As she stared at herself in the mirror, twenty-four year old Santana Lopez grinned. She had always known she was going to get out of Lima, but she never knew it'd be like this. During her senior year, a record producer had approached her after hearing her sing at Nationals (which they finally won) and said that they wanted to sign her, though they were also interested in Artie. Artie and Santana had become close due to well... Brittany, so neither wanted to have to compete against the other. Artie was actually the one who came up with the idea that they start a group. He and Santana did lead vocals, while Mike, Brittany, and Matt (who had come back during senior year) were mainly the dancers of the group. Brittany sometimes had parts in the songs and she occasionally sang duets with Artie or Santana, but the Latina and the boy were the main singers of their group, which they had chosen to name ND 2.0, after New Directions. They'd already released three albums and were about to start working on their fourth.<p>

To no one's surprise, Rachel attended Julliard in New York. She had starred in an off-Broadway play for a year, did a few guest spots on TV, and then finally landed her big break. She achieved her dream to be cast in a Broadway play, and she'd been starring in that for a little over a year and a half now. She and Santana had had a little trouble when Santana had become famous. Rachel tried to play it cool, but Santana knew she was jealous. But the real issue came when one of the assisstants for ND 2.0 got involved.

_FLASHBACK_

_"Tiny, will you please calm down? You're going to do fine on your monologue." Santana said into her phone. Joyce, an assistant at the record label, walked into the room_

_"Sanny, I'm just really nervous." _

_"I know baby. Look, when I get home tonight I'll make you feel better. Your monologue isn't for three days. You'll be perfect. I have to go, though. I love you." Santana said._

_"I love you too." Santana hung up._

_"Hey Joyce." The other woman smiled._

_"Hey Santana. Was that your wife?" Santana nodded._

_"She's nervous. She has a big midterm coming up." she said. _

_"You look stressed." Joyce commented._

_"Between the twins, recording, and Rachel's nervous break downs, life is doing that to me." Santana said, laughing. Joyce frowned and sat next to Santana._

_"I really admire you. I mean, those aren't even your kids and you helped Rachel throughout the entire thing. Though, your life would be a lot easier if you were alone." _

_"What do you mean?"_

_"You wouldn't have any responsibilites and you'd only have to worry about yourself. Nothing to hold you back or tie you down." Santana bit her lip._

_"Maybe you're right..." she said softly. Joyce leaned closer and kissed her lightly. Before she knew what she was doing, Santana was kissing back._

_"Really, Santana?" Santana pulled away._

_"Tiny..." Rachel rolled her eyes and walked out of the room and out of Santana's life. When the Latina got home all traces of her wife and her kids were gone. All of their clothes and belongings were gone. Santana was left with nothing of them._

_END FLASHBACK_

That was almost two years ago. Santana had tried contacting Rachel, but the diva was blocking her calls. A knock at her door shook her out of her spell. Her best friend entered. "Hey B."

"Hey S. You ready for the show?" Santana nodded.

"You think she'll come?"

"Hard to say... but either way, we're going to have a great show." Brittany said. Santana nodded and the two best friends hugged before going to meet their bandmates. For every concert, Brittany and Santana always wore matching short shorts, matching jackets, matching tennis shoes, and a white tank top, with their hair in high ponytails. Matt, Mike, and Artie always wore jeans, matching jackets, matching tennis shoes, and a white t-shirt. Tonight, Brittany and Santana were wearing neon blue jackets and tennis shoes, while Mike, Artie, and Matt were wearing neon green jackets and tennis shoes. As they heard the beats to their opening number, _How Do You Sleep_, they ran to get in position. As they sang, Santana looked around for the spot in the front row that she'd requested be left open for Rachel, the twins, and Finn (who had moved to New York to help Rachel out). She almost stopped dancing when she saw something she honestly didn't expect. Rachel. The song ended and Santana tried to catch her breath.

"How's everybody doing tonight?" Artie said. Everyone cheered.

"All right... tonight is a special show. Not only is the final show on our tour, but we're performing very specific songs tonight that we picked out. Let's get this party started!" Santana yelled cheering with the crowd as the opening beats for their song _Baby _played. As Rachel looked up at her former lover, she raised an eyebrow and looked at the program she'd been given when they arrived.

_How Do You Sleep_

_Baby_

_U Smile_

_One Less Lonely Girl_

_Baby Its You_

_Somebody To Love_

_She's No You_

_Love Me_

_Never Say Never_

_Stuck In The Moment_

_With You_

_A Year Without Rain_

_iYiYi_

_Down_

_First Dance_

_Bigger_

_Over & Over Again_

_Mad_

_Round & Round_

_Body Language_

_One Time_

_Naturally_

_Falling Down_

_Crush_

_Eenie Meenie_

_That Should Be Me_

_Favorite Girl_

_"_Rachel, are you okay?" Finn asked. Rachel shook her head.

"These are all songs that Santana wrote for me." she said.

"Are you regretting coming?"

"No. TJ and Braylan wanted to see her." she said. As if on cue, eight-year-old Braylan tugged on her hand. "What's up sweetie?"

"Mommy looks pretty." she said, smiling. Rachel smiled at her daughter.

"Yea, she does." Santana made eye contact with the child and grinned. Braylan saw her Latina mother and waved, smiling as Santana winked. Santana had never hid the fact that she was a lesbian from her fans and was surprised to find that they all supported her, which was why she had no problem singing songs about being in love with a girl.

* * *

><p>"Did you guys enjoy the show tonight?" Santana yelled. The crowd cheered. "Awesome. Now before we go, I want everyone to wish Ms. Rachel Berry, Broadway star, a happy twenty-fourth birthday!" ND 2.0 launched into happy birthday as Santana pulled Rachel onstage.<p>

"Happy Birthday, Tiny." she whispered in the diva's ear as she led her back to her seat before leaving the stage. "Do you think she'll use the backstage passes?" the Latina asked Brittany.

"I don't think TJ and Braylan will let her forget." the blonde replied.

"Mommy!" two voices said. Santana turned around and grinned.

"_Ninos_." she whispered as she hugged them. "You being good for your Mama?" They nodded.

"Mama almost wouldn't let us come tonight. She said that you guys were still fighting." TJ said. Santana bit her lip.

"Why are you guys mad still?" Braylan asked.

"Because Mommy messed up. Mama has every right to be mad at me." Santana said softly.

"Kids, why don't we go say hi to Aunt Brittany, Uncle Artie, Uncle Mike, and Uncle Matt?" Finn suggested as he and Rachel walked up. Soon it was just the two former lovers.

"You were great, Santana." Rachel said. The Latina smiled.

"Thanks." They stood in an awkward silence. "Anything going on between you and Finn?" she asked softly. Rachel shook her head.

"I'm single." Santana nodded. "S, did you ever wonder why our divorce was never finalized?"

"Yea, I did. I signed the papers." Santana said. Rachel looked down.

"Why?"

"Because I thought that was what you wanted."

"I still haven't signed them." Rachel whispered. Santana looked over in shock.

"But you filed for divorce. Why wouldn't you sign them?" she asked.

"Because I guess I was hoping you would come up with some grand gesture to get me back or at least fight for me." Rachel said.

"I wanted to give you space. I didn't want to push you to far and ruin things even more." Santana whispered.

"Why did you kiss her?"

"She kissed me."

"But why'd you kiss back?" Rachel asked, looking broken hearted. Santana looked away.

"I don't know. I regret every second of it. I love you, Tiny." she said. Rachel cupped her cheek and Santana trapped her hand there. "You still wear your ring?" Rachel nodded.

"Both of them." Santana smiled.

"So do I." she said.

"I still love you, Sanny. I tried to stop, but I couldn't. I'm in love with you." Rachel said softly as she wiped a tear off of Santana's face. The Latina kissed her softly. "Can we be in love again? Can we forget everything that happened?" Rachel asked. Santana smiled.

"Absolutely. I don't want to miss another moment of your life or the kids' lives. I want to be there for you no matter what." Santana said. Rachel smiled.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too." Santana whispered, kissing her love.


End file.
